In early March, the city of Long Beach implemented online learning for all students in an attempt to combat the spread of COVID-19. Thousands of K-12 and college students suddenly faced the challenge of learning how to create their efficient workspace from home.
The difficulty of online learning is not always necessarily the coursework. For some students, the hardest part of transitioning to online learning was creating a workspace that allowed them to focus on their courses.
For LBCC student Akira Starks, her work environment was the most important factor of her success.
“I already had a hard time paying attention in class before all of this, so I knew I had to hold myself accountable and find a place that forced me to focus,” Starks said.
A first-year student at LBCC, Starks said she felt like she was already at a disadvantage because she did not know any other students, and worried that would quickly make her fall behind in two classes: statistics and biology.
Starks said to address the attention span problems, she bought a small desk at a thrift store to put in her room so that she would feel like she was in a more professional setting.
“When I’m at my desk, it’s like my brain says ‘okay, this is strictly study time.’ I try to only have my notebook and laptop in front of me. I also bought a white board from Target for my statistics class. It just helps create a school-like environment for me,” Starks said.
Even though her work environment helps with staying on track with school, Starks credited her Zoom study group for holding accountability when it comes to completing her homework and studying for exams.
“Me and two other girls from my statistics class have a Zoom meeting every Tuesday where we ask each other questions about the homework and discuss review work. It really forces me to stay on top of things because I like being able to answer their questions. It’s really cool to have a sense of community even though we’re all in our own homes,” Starks said.
High school students deal with similar obstacles regarding their online classes. K-12 students attend early morning classes and don’t end courses until the afternoon. The silver lining for students is that they do not need to get ready for school or make the commute to campus.
Marygrace Gliane, a student at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, said she still gets up early to start her school day.
“I’ll get up earlier and set up my Zoom calls. Sometimes I’ll even do it the night before,” Gliane said.
Living in a family of six means there are going to be distractions. For Gliane, she combatted this problem by finding a quiet place in her house and isolating herself during class time.
“Usually I’ll go in my sister’s room just to isolate myself from everyone because I live in a family of six and it’s very easy to get distracted. I also put a note on the door that says I’m in class to warn my family,” Gliane said.
Though she adjusted to online learning rather well, Gliane still believes that in-person learning is way more effective.
“Not just speaking for myself, but especially for me and my friends, we definitely think that a physical school environment is completely different to how you learn on the computer. It’s kind of hard to get to know your teachers through a computer screen. Usually for me I learn better when I’m closer to my teachers,” Gliane said.
LBCC, along with CSU Long Beach and thousands of schools across the country have already decided to implement online learning for the spring 2021 semester. Though it remains unclear when students will have access to in-person learning again, creating an efficient workspace from home is essential to maintaining a successful academic career.
If you are someone who is struggling with keeping up with schoolwork from home, you can contact the LAR online tutoring center and schedule a tutoring appointment with CRLA (College Reading and Learning) Certified students. You can reach them at 562-938-4474 or email them at tutoring@lbcc.edu to schedule your online appointment.