Long Beach City College returned to partial on-campus instruction for the fall semester of 2021, allowing students and professors to return to normalcy after being isolated at the start of COVID-19.
Four weeks into the fall semester, both students and professors have had to adjust to a new environment as they navigate in-person instruction alongside LBCC’s new COVID-19 protocols.
English 1 professor, Natalie Djabourian, is one of the professors who has made the transition from online instruction back to in-person instruction for the fall semester.
Djabourian still offers students the chance at remote instruction, but was enthusiastic about being allowed back on campus for the fall. She said, “ I am so happy to be back and to see all of the students.”
Djabourian emphasized all of the safety measures being taken by LBCC to ensure professors would be properly trained in any new protocols being mandated for in-person instruction.
“There was an adjunct orientation where Lee Douglas was the speaker and they talked about students needing to be vaccinated or wearing a sticker which proved they had been tested,” said Djabourian.
Continuing on she said, “I feel very safe because of all the protocols – we’re in a different classroom to accommodate the safety protocols which allows students to remain six-feet apart for social distancing, and everyone wears a mask”.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, LBCC professors had to make adjustments to being online for both fall and spring semesters, leaving many professors needing to adapt to an environment that would not have been their first choice.
Professor Djabourian however, has been able to see that there are upsides and downsides to both learning environments and believes neither one necessarily makes the better learning option.
Djabourian said, “Online instruction can be more convenient because there isn’t a need for commuting but students don’t always have their screens turned on and we use breakout rooms for student discussions. Even so, that doesn’t replace in-person interaction”.
“They each have their own benefits and drawbacks but whatever feels necessary for the students or administrators,” said Djabourian.
Students also shared professor Djabourian’s excitement at returning to campus for the fall semester, and biology student Patricia Aldama found in-person instruction to be her preferred learning environment.
“Taking classes in person makes it so much easier to ask professors questions, which makes it easier for learning,” said Adalma.
Gaining the full college experience on campus was another reason Adalma preferred an in-person learning environment, saying, “You get to meet people and network. Networking is the key to success in any field.”
Although having similar opinions about being on campus, Kevin Galvez, who studies music theory and prefers an in-person learning environment to remote instruction, has noted that being back on campus is not like he once remembered it.
Galvez said, “This is a brand new experience for me and there aren’t as many people so it feels empty,” regarding his experience being back on campus now in comparison to before the pandemic hit because there were “more activities and more students”.
LBCC students and professors alike continue to study and work through the changes that have been caused by the pandemic and many are glad to be back on campus for the fall semester.