The positives of studying remotely

After COVID-19 hit our headlines and the University campuses closed I thought all the structure and support would disappear. However, I was wrong. My lectures were still uploaded on Panopto and weekly Q&A sessions replaced seminars.

Every email I sent was replied to in a timely manner and every question I queried was discussed and, most importantly, answered.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the unexpected adjustment to working from my bedroom with no physical library facilities or face-to-face contact with my peers or lecturers was difficult to adjust to, but there are predominantly two benefits that came with this change.

1) I had more time to complete my assignments.

I am sure you miss going out and socialising with your friends, I do too. But there is a lot I do not miss such as my tiring commutes to Uni or the fact that I seemed to be more stressed and have less time. By being at home I seem to have done more, done it at the times I wanted to whilst still having time to talk to my friends and have a good old Netflix binge.

2) My level of support has not decreased.

Although, I enjoyed the group discussions that a physical lecture/seminar has. I feel like the level of support I have received has not decreased. If anything, the support I have received has increased. The fact that lecturers had to quickly adapt to a new environment must have been difficult and I am grateful that a solution was implemented as fast as it was.

How life has changed over the past few months has definitely impacted my University experience. If I had the choice I would 100% decide to study at the University of Derby campus, however, I do not think the alterations in teaching during this uncertain time have impacted on my studies as much as it could have. My remote learning experience has been positive thanks to the support from academics at the University of Derby.