How Living at Quad Can Give Students On-Campus Experience in a Virtual Learning Environment

Even though in-person classes are unique and different from remote-learning, research has proven that online learning is as good as, if not better than in-person classes. As thousands of students prepare for their third semester of online-learning, many continuing students are afraid that remote learning may permanently replace their in-person college experience, which was their first choice.

According to experts, remote learning is slowly moving into the long term and this may affect most of the students emotionally, mentally, and academically. The impacts of this shift may be very challenging, especially to students who longed for in-person classes.

Quad offers an in-person learning model that allows students to have a perfect study environment, invite each other for a talk on campus, join a social network, and even reach out to test new identities.

1. Lack of Social Connectedness

The physicality of in-person classes encourages students to converse with each other during and after the classes. This bonding experience presents a sense of community and friendship and also enables students to make personal connections with other like-minded scholars.

When students are studying in the same physical setting, it is much easier for them to make connections and reach out to their classmates. When learners are allowed to study in the same setting, it encourages organic discussions that enable them to bounce ideas off of one another.

Lack of social interactions during class time, group meetings, leisure activities, when seeing friends, or during their spare time for hobbies can cause a lot of loneliness to students, especially during the pandemic.

When students are studying online at Quad student residences, the on-campus experience gives them a sense of community, relationship, friendship, and other networking opportunities. The setting is similar to traditional face-to-face in-person classes. Here, students can ask their peers about course directions, university processes, and even build rapport with strangers.

2. Lack of Sense of Routine

It can be hard for students to stay focused if they’re not provided with good learning space to study at home. Students are sometimes forced to study at night when the place is quiet, and the rest of the family has gone to bed. This way, they’re able to use one of the tables in the living room to study.

Students are becoming lazy due to a lack of sense of routine. They don’t have to wake early to commute to school or be in a specific location personally. If online learning is made more effective, students will be more disciplined, and their academic performance will improve.

The on-campus experience provides students with a sharp distinction between home and school work. Most of these students are used to working hard at school and relaxing at home. There are also many distractions at home that keep them from starting school work including other stay-at-home family members and many other things.

The lack of discipline and sense of routine has afforded students many opportunities for procrastination. Due to a lack of regular conversations with peers in lecture halls, scheduled times, or reminders by their professors, many students have fallen behind on lecture material, content, and course readings.

At Quad, we provide students with a traditional in-person learning model that allows students to meet with their classmates. This can benefit their learning because connecting with their peers not only enables them to ask more questions but also seek more answers.

Our spacious, quiet, state of the art facilities, and inspirational study spaces nurture resilience and give students a sense of motivation, solidarity, and comfort. Knowing that they’re not the only ones struggling with their studies makes them eager to complete their assignments, ask questions, start discussions, and prepare for exams – which drives them to do their very best.

3. Lack of Privacy

Many students have to deal with the reality of a lack of privacy at home. In-person classes, closed-door meetings, libraries, and other study spaces at schools provide students with the freedom and privacy they need. Sometimes students may fear making appointments at home for fear of being noticed by other stay-at-home family members.

They may also feel insecure and uncomfortable to talk about their issues to academic advisors and counselors, when at home. If these concerns are not addressed immediately, they may interfere with their ability to concentrate and stay focused.

Unlike remote-learning, most students believe that in-person classes are well-equipped for their studies and can help them perform better. Since they are not in school personally, most of the students care less, work less, and keep pushing assignments off to another day. Even though these students have tutorials, lectures, assignments, quizzes, exams, and tests they must do, they still struggle to focus.

Studying at home is rife with ready distractions that cannot be controlled which include household distractions, neighborhood distractions, online notifications, and chat functions on Zoom, which makes students unable to concentrate.

Online learning at the Quad residence is better than studying alone at home. It not only creates an on-campus environment conducive to student-centered learning but also adds a human element to the whole process.

Engagement and focus are not only vital during studies but also to the entire learning process. Students find it helpful to share specific study spaces with classmates. Here, they can interact and ask questions before, after, and during breaks – which keep them focused and absorbed in the topics they’re discussing.

4. Lack of On-Campus Student Experience

With remote learning, social cues are often missed. When students fail to pick up on social cues, they end up misunderstanding people and situations. Due to the missing human element in online interactions, most students feel as if they’re talking to themselves or even filming themselves rather than engaging in serious discussions. It is quite a common scenario to find students turning off their cameras during online classroom discussions, as most of them are yet to familiarize themselves with this kind of learning environment.

The the Quad gives students a positive and social post-secondary educational experience. This kind of learning atmosphere helps students to concentrate, discuss, and complete assignments. It also gives both undergraduate and graduate students better social experiences and educational outcomes.

According to the latest research, students attending online classes are performing better than researchers expected. We believe that meaningful social interaction stems from the university campus and Quad at York is great at giving students an on-campus experience to help them achieve even better results.