Normally, Gabriella Alcindor ’20 would get up at 7:00 a.m. to travel from Rosedale, Queens to Manhattan to tackle her six classes at John Jay College. Now, with the challenges our City faces with the coronavirus, Alcindor is more than ready to participate in those classes in the comfort of her own home. “Not having to do the long commute is actually really helpful. Instead of traveling two hours—and worrying about getting to school on time—I can just wake up and be ready to go,” says Alcindor.
Her First Online Class Experience
There’s more than the lack of a commute behind Alcindor’s confidence. She’s already taken four online classes at John Jay and currently she’s an “eTern” for John Jay’s ePortfolio program. “The first online course I took was in the spring of 2019. It was a ‘half online and half in-person’ class where I only saw my professor physically once a week. That class made me feel more confident about taking completely online classes going forward,” says Alcindor.
Her Love of Online Learning
“One of the great things about online classes is that there’s a lot of certainty within them. Everything is set on the digital platform,” says Alcindor, “and that helps me easily distribute my time between all of my other responsibilities.” Like most John Jay students, Alcindor has many demands on her time other than school. She works part-time as an agent at an insurance brokerage, and she helps take care of younger family members. “Right now I know that a lot of people are bored because the virus situation is keeping them at home, but I wish I could be bored,” says Alcindor. “I’m an auntie, a godmother, and an older cousin. So, I’m watching five kids ranging from two to 13 years old.” The ability to take online classes has helped Alcindor juggle her busy schedule. “I’ve taken a total of four online classes at John Jay, and I love being able to learn on my own time. For all your online classes you have all the readings and the PowerPoints that the professors have uploaded right there for you,” says Alcindor. “I like being able to control the pace of my learning. I know how I learn, and online classes allows me sit down and figure out the best way for me to understand the materials.”
“The most important thing for students to do at this time is to keep that line of communication open with your professors.” —Gabriella Alcindor
Her Best Advice to Students About Online Classes
As an online class “expert,” Alcindor has some sage advice for her fellow John Jay and CUNY students. “The most important thing for students to do at this time is to keep that line of communication open with your professors. You have access to them. Talk to them in discussion posts,” she suggests. For students who may be more introverted, or just happen to talk less in class, the online experience creates a new atmosphere in which they could easily participate more, Alcindor explains. “In a way, online classes force you to be more interactive than in-person classes. Yes, in an in-person class you’re physically there, but online you have to respond to the professor’s questions, you have to respond to other classmates in the discussion groups. I really read what the other students say in the online discussion groups because I don’t want to repeat what they’ve said before. To participate, you have to read and think deeper. I like that challenge.”
“Blackboard is so organized. There’s a tab for everything— assignments, grades, even a calendar tool. On the calendar it has what’s due and when. It’s all very organized and easy to understand.” —Gabriella Alcindor
Her Love of Blackboard
For a young woman with a lot of demands on her time, Blackboard fits in nicely with Alcindor’s lifestyle. “Blackboard is so organized. There’s a tab for everything—assignments, grades, even a calendar tool. On the calendar it has what’s due and when. It’s all very organized and easy to understand,” says Alcindor. Her advice to students who might be feeling nervous about Blackboard: Just play around with it. “Under ‘resources’ Blackboard has a help guide, it tells you how to use the program. Every Blackboard class is set up a little different, but if you have a basic understanding of how the program works, that’s all you really need,” she says. “You also have professors who are learning Blackboard too, and you can ask them for help with the program.”
“Don’t freak out, just take it one step at a time. It might seem like the world has stopped, but it hasn’t, so we have to spin with it.” —Gabriella Alcindor
Her Confidence in Her Fellow Students
Alcinador, a proud member of Generation Z, feels confident that her fellow CUNY and John Jay students can handle the transition to distance learning for one main reason: They grew up with technology. “There’s nothing technology-wise that we can’t figure out,” she says. “I’ve seen little kids use cell phones and tablets. And, it's not like we’re without support. Don’t forget, we have access to school support, the school is still there for us. I know it can be intimidating, and super concerning, but we can all do this.” She urges her fellow students to seek out help if they’re feeling overwhelmed. “You’re never alone at John Jay, even during this situation. You have people you can talk to—peers, peer advisors, professors, there’s someone out there that can help you if you seek out the help. You have to be positive. Don’t freak out, just take it one step at a time. It might seem like the world has stopped, but it hasn’t, so we have to spin with it.”
Her Future Plans
After Alcindor graduates from John Jay in 2020, she plans to help uplift the people of Haiti. “Except for me, everyone in my entire family was born in Haiti. I haven’t been back there for 10 years because the conditions are not safe,” says Alcindor. In the future she hopes to put her Political Science major (with a concentration in International Relations), Psychology minor, and Dispute Resolution certificate to good use by participating in diplomatic relations for Haiti. “Haiti was the first Black republic. I want to bring it back to its original glory, before the French made Haitians pay millions of dollars for their freedom. Thinking about the pain that Haitians are going through gets me upset. I want to use what I learned at John Jay to help them thrive.”
Read more about John Jay’s Telecommuting and Distance Learning Plans
Check Out Answers to Your FAQs about Distance Learning
