The decision to take online classes came easy for Shazad Hussain ’21. “I knew my semester was going to be extremely busy. It was going to be tough to juggle in-person classes, my job, and an internship,” says Hussain, who's taken a total of four online courses at John Jay. “Taking online courses allowed me to balance all my responsibilities and give them all an equal effort.” For students embarking on distance learning for the first time this week, Hussain is confident they’ll adapt easily and quickly. “Transitioning to distance learning will take some adjusting, but students will realize that taking classes online isn’t difficult at all. There’s an abundance of resources available at our disposal, and the support from professors, advisors, and the rest of the John Jay community is immense.”
“Transitioning to distance learning will take some adjusting, but students will realize that taking classes online isn’t difficult at all. There’s an abundance of resources available at our disposal, and the support from professors, advisors, and the rest of the John Jay community is immense.” —Shazad Hussain
Accessing Support from Professors
When Hussain was going through a difficult time and had trouble concentrating on his studies, he reached out to one of his online professors. “I was missing deadlines and was overwhelmed with the amount of work that I had to make up. I decided to reach out to my professor and explain the situation. I was actually surprised at how understanding he was,” says Hussain. The professor’s quick and empathetic response reassured Hussain that he wasn’t navigating his courses alone; his professor was there to support him. “It became very clear to me that professors were always there to help. They were very responsive to all the emails I sent. They were willing to set up appointments and even phone calls to assist me with any difficulties that I was having. It’s extremely easy to communicate with them digitally,” says Hussain, who cites help from his professors as one of the keys to completing his courses successfully. “If my professor was so understanding of my minor situation, I'm positive that given our current climate, there will be even more flexibility and support coming from our professors now.”
“Just because classes are online now, doesn’t mean you lose the classroom feel. The online forums create community.” —Shazad Hussain
Communicating with Peers
Feedback and interaction with classmates also plays a key role in student success with online classes. And while transitioning to distance learning has brought up some concerns about feeling isolated, Hussain enjoyed the online community he had with his classmates. “Just because classes are online now, doesn’t mean you lose the classroom feel,” he says, pointing to the discussion forums as a great way to start conversations and keep them going. “The online forums create community. And although we didn’t have face-to-face engagement, my classmates and I communicated directly through these forums. We had the opportunity to comment on each other’s work, provide feedback, and bring the classroom banter to an online platform.” Hussain also notes that students can use other technologies such as Zoom and even FaceTime to maintain contact with peers. “So, if you have a question or are confused about anything, just ask. We’re all in this together, and I know we’ll continue to support each other.”
