Book Review Assignment Details
The review should be typed Times New Roman 12 pt font and double spaced with 1 inch
margins.
The review should be at least 5 pages of content to earn a 100 .
You will submit an electronic copy of your paper into turnitin.com to check for plagiarism
and AI use. I will give you the details on how to do that.
Plagiarism, including the use of AI (such as chatGPT), is strictly forbidden. I reserve the
right to reduce any student's grade to a level I see fit based on plagiarism and AI use levels.
We have a reserve at the library (can check out books), or you can pick your own book and
ask me to approve it.
I will grade based on length of summary and length of analysis, so don’t give me 5 pages of
summary and a paragraph of analysis, I want close to equal summary and analysis. Follow
the guidelines when writing the analysis.
Turnitin.com Instructions For Book Review
1. Go to https://www.turnitin.com/login_page.aspLinks to an external site.
2. Create user profile: choose student
3. Class ID is:
40221469
4. Password/ Enrollment Key is: bacteria
5. Enter your information
6. Go to class home page and Fall 2023 Book Review
7. Submit Paper with your name and title of book.
8. Upload from file
I will accept late papers, but points will be counted off. Remember you can turn it in early to have me
check it for corrections.
Due Date: Monday November 13th.
PreviousNext
How To Write a Book Review
How to Write a Book Review (From http://www.shoestringbranding.com)
In a nutshell, here are some tips on how to write a book review:
A book review has three objectives:



Describing what the book is about
Analyzing how the book tried to achieve its purpose
Expressing your own opinion of the book
As you read the book, try to answer the following three questions:
1. What are the author’s objectives? What is he/she trying to prove? (These will often be stated in the
introduction)
2. What kind of evidence/experience does the author use/have to prove his or her points?
3. Is the evidence convincing?
When you start writing your review, state the book’s main thesis and present some background
information on the author.
Next, give a summary of the main points/sections of the book, quoting and paraphrasing key
phrases from the author if necessary.
Finally, get to the heart of the matter—your opinion of the book. In this section, you can discuss
several issues:





How well has the book has achieved its goal
What the book has left out
How the book compares to others on the subject
What specific points are well sustained and what is not convincing, and
How does the content relates to you and your field
It is important to carefully distinguish your views from the author’s, so that you don’t confuse
your reader.
Optionally, you may finish your review with a conclusion that ties together the issues raised in
the review and provides a concise comment on the book.
4 days ago
Alice Nicholas
Questions for Online Learning vs. In-person Learning
COLLAPSE
Questions about Online Learning vs. In-Person Learning
Please reply to this thread.
We are going to divide the various online and in-person learning issues into three (3) categories:
A. Learning and course-related challenges: This includes ease and challenges related to learning and
comprehension, including addressing learning styles, computers and other technology, and library
resources, etc.
B. Interacting with instructors and other students: This includes communication inside and outside of
class with instructors and students.
C. Personal challenges: This includes focus on and motivation for schoolwork, and finding a quiet space
to work, transport, and competing responsibilities.
Question 1: According to the articles (not your own opinion), when it comes to A) learning and courserelated challenges, what kind of experiences are found within online learning? What kind of experiences
are found within in-person learning? According to the data chart in the research report, in which type of
learning did the majority of CUNY students learn more? What about community college students? You
may include other data you find interesting in this sub-category.
Question 2: According to the articles (not your own opinion), when it comes to B) interrelations with
instructor and other students, what kind of experiences are found within online learning? What kind of
experiences are found within in-person learning? After you have answered directly from the articles, you
may include your own experiences with interacting with instructors and other students in both types
(modalities) of learning.
Question 3: According to the articles (not your own opinion), when it comes to C) personal challenges,
what kind of experiences are found within online learning? What kind of experiences are found within inperson learning? After you have answered directly from the articles, you may include your own
experiences with personal challenges in both types (modalities) of learning.
Reply
QuoteEmail Author
Natalie Mora
RE: Questions for Online Learning vs. In-person Learning
COLLAPSE
Question 1. A) Learning and course-related challenges, what kind of experiences are found within online
learning? Synchronous online instructions allow a richer set of interactions. For example, in Zoom or
Microsoft teams is easier to invite non-local guest speakers to meetings and make them more dynamic.
What kind of experiences are found within in-person learning?
The interaction is easier, so students are capable to focus in their totality during classes.
According to the data chart in the research report, in which type of learning did the majority of CUNY
students learn more? What about community college students?
LaGuardia 35% and Community colleges 37% respondents reported learning LESS during distance than
in-person classes and about 24% in LaGuardia and 23% of community colleges respondents reported
learning more during distance period so the conclusión is that the students at the time they take in-person
classes they learn more.
Question 2. According to the articles, when it comes to B) interrelations with instructor and other students,
what kind of experiences are found within online learning?
The interaction is easier because there are some students who are reticent to speak during in-person
class sessions, but they feel confident using the chat function to make some comments or ask questions
about the class.
What kind of experiences are found within in-person learning? After you have answered directly from the
articles, you may include your own experiences with interacting with instructors and other students in both
types (modalities) of learning.
Students feel confident and supported at the time they speak to their advisors because they have
somebody in which they can trust their issues. I like better in-person interactions during classes because I
feel more focus during my clases but also helps me to don´t be afraid talking in public during the class
dynamics.
Question 3. According to the articles, when it comes to C) personal challenges, what kind of experiences
are found within online learning? Students are busier than others and full of responsibilities so for them
online classes are better for them in terms of time and flexibility.
What kind of experiences are found within in-person learning?
Students can stablish interpersonal connections between them and share their passions and interest, so
they become more confident in generating dynamic discussions. Students also feel motivated by
watching other people studying in the library, so they acquire that sense of responsibility and prepare
themselves to finish the tasks. Graduate students mention that staying after classes with their professors
they benefit their learning by connecting with them so that drives them to do their best.
After you have answered directly from the articles, you may include your own experiences with personal
challenges in both types (modalities) of learning.
Talking about from my personal experience, both modalities have their advantages and their level of
commitment, but I am going to stay with in-person classes because I think that studying alone at home
during online is not healthy in terms of mental health because an in-person modality is more dynamic in
terms of focus and interaction between your teachers and classmates.
3 hours ago
Max Bruno-Lopez
RE: Questions for Online Learning vs. In-person Learning
COLLAPSE
Question 1: According to the articles (not your own opinion), when it comes to A) learning and courserelated challenges, what kind of experiences are found within online learning? What kind of experiences
are found within in-person learning? According to the data chart in the research report, in which type of
learning did the majority of CUNY students learn more? What about community college students? You
may include other data you find interesting in this sub-category.
According to the articles, when it comes to learning and course-related challenges, online teaching lets
those who have jobs make it accessible to do online classwork and do their job. In-person teaching allows
people to stay focused more when doing work. They may also have the motivation to do their work by
seeing others doing their work. According to the data chart in the research report, it was found that 35%
of students of La Guardia and 37% of students in the community felt that they learned less in online
classes compared to in-person classes. Conversely, 24% of La Guardia students and 23% of Community
College students reported learning through online learning. Therefore the overall conclusions drawn from
the data suggest that students take in-person classes.
Question 2: According to the articles (not your own opinion), when it comes to B) interrelations with
instructor and other students, what kind of experiences are found within online learning? What kind of
experiences are found within in-person learning? After you have answered directly from the articles, you
may include your own experiences with interacting with instructors and other students in both types
(modalities) of learning.
According to articles, interrelations with instructors and other students, students find it easier to engage
and interact on a platform than in in-person classes. While some students may feel hesitant to speak up
in face-to-face settings they feel at ease asking questions or sharing their thoughts online. It's common for
students to feel more confident addressing their concerns in person. Sometimes it can be challenging for
them to openly discuss their worries at home. Speaking from my experience I personally like being in
person rather than at home doing classes because when I'm at home I don't feel like doing the work, it
gives me no motivation to do the work. I find myself more talkative and engaged with my professor and
classmates in person than at home.
Question 3: According to the articles (not your own opinion), when it comes to C) personal challenges,
what kind of experiences are found within online learning? What kind of experiences are found within inperson learning? After you have answered directly from the articles, you may include your own
experiences with personal challenges in both types (modalities) of learning.
Students have more duties than others, and taking online classes is easier for those with more since
they can better manage their time. By building interpersonal bonds, they can share their hobbies and
interests, gaining confidence in conducting vibrant debates. Students may also feel inspired seeing other
students studying in the library, so they develop a sense of duty and prepare themselves to complete the
duties. Graduate students report that remaining after courses with their professors benefits their learning
by allowing them to connect with each other which motivates them to achieve their best. Speaking from
my experience I personally find it more comfortable learning in person than at home because I'm more of
a visual learner so seeing my professor face to face talking and writing on the board as well as seeing
students talk about the work gives me motivation to do the work. On the other hand, online learning
doesn’t give me the benefits of being motivated, sometimes the professor doesn’t explain the work
correctly, and emailing them is even harder when they take days to respond.
Reply
Questions for Online Learning vs. In-person Learning
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
https://www.laguardia.edu/uploadedfiles/main_site/content/ir/docs/distance-learning-experience-andthe-pandemic-impact-on-education-cuny-and-laguardia.pdf
https://harlemview.com/city-college/2021/11/ccny-students-demand-online-courses-for-spring-2022heres-why/
FOR STUDENTS NOVEMBER 17, 2021
by Krystal Suriel
CCNY Students Demand Online Courses
for Spring 2022: Here’s Why
CUNY students created a petition to demand more options in enrollment choices for the Spring 2022 semester. Photo from the
change.org CCNY petition website.
Emely Rodriguez, a third-year sociology student at City College, had to pick up a job during the pandemic to help her family stay afloat
financially. Taking classes online proved to be convenient, given her schedule. “The main benefit I had from remote learning was quickly
getting a job when both my parents lost theirs at the beginning of quarantine,” said Rodriguez, 19. “Since then I’ve kept that job to keep
providing for my family. So forcing students to be completely in-person seems unfair; they should have a choice.”
Rodriguez is reacting to the news that in Spring 2022 the vast majority of classes at CUNY will be held in person despite the fact that for
the past 19 months students have had to adapt to online learning. With vaccine rates and mandates increasing, beginning in Ja nuary,
CUNY plans to have the most in-person semester since COVID-19 restrictions began. Though some students and faculty are eager to
return to campus, others, like Rodriguez, have become comfortable with remote learning and have conflicting thoughts about CU NY’s
plans. Last month, Brian D., a CUNY student, created a Change.org petition titled “CUNY: SPRING 2022 SHOULD BE ONLINE!” It was
aimed at Dr. Felix Matos Rodriguez, the university’s chancellor. So far, over 700 students have signed the petition.
It’s not that students are entirely against in-person classes ever happening again; it’s that they believe they should have a choice moving
forward. Many have full-time jobs, have lower incomes, and are single parents. Having online courses that they attend, whether at work
or when taking care of their children (or other loved ones), can be very helpful.
Some students prefer online learning to avoid long commutes; traveling one or more hours to attend one class doesn’t seem nec essary
anymore in a COVID-19 world, not to mention the costs of MetroCards and the continuous threat of fares rising. Kharell Leslie, a senior
psychology major at CCNY, has to take one class next semester to complete his degree. “I just moved to Connecticut two weeks ago,
and my final class is at 8 a.m. twice a week in person,” said Leslie, 28. “Having to drive one and a half hours to uptown, possibly more
depending on traffic—yeah, I think an online option would’ve definitely been more convenient.”
Jarrin Choudhary, a 20-year-old junior at CCNY, says that hybrid is ultimately the best choice because CUNY should be accessible. Yet
she yearns for in-person learning, missing the in-person connection. “Online, teachers are more likely to speak at you than with you,
which makes sense. It’s a bunch of dark boxes on Zoom,” said Choudhary, who changed her major from political science to art during
the pandemic. “If I could say something to the CUNY [chancellor] it’d be: Have open discussions with students and listen to o ur needs;
don’t just assume what we want.”
TAGS: CCNY CCNY STUDENT JOURNALISTS CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK CUNY HYBRID CLASSES ONLINE
CLASSES REMOTE LEARNING SPRING SEMESTER
RELATED ARTICLES
© 2023 Harlem View. All rights reserved.
Harlem View is a blog with an eye on community, culture, art, food and life in and around
Harlem. It is a product of CCNY Journalism Program in collaboration with the Documentary
Forum.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/online-college-classes-can-be-better-than-in-person-ones-theimplications-for-higher-ed-are-profound/
COMMENTARY
Online college classes can be
better than in-person ones. The
implications for higher ed are
profound.
John Villasenor
February 10, 2022
Center for Technology Innovation
When the Covid pandemic started in early 2020, colleges shifted to remote learning
out of necessity. With large in-person gatherings in classrooms suddenly off-limits,
online instruction was viewed as the lesser of two evils—inferior to in-person classes,
but infinitely better than no classes at all.
Two years later, something unexpected has happened. For many college courses,
online instruction is proving to be far more effective than many people anticipated.
Why? One key reason is that today’s communications networks and consumer devices
enable much higher quality telepresence than was possible a decade ago. But another
reason is that due to the pandemic, enormous numbers of students and instructors have
gained proficiency with online learning software.
In particular, the mass adoption of Zoom in higher education has created a network
effect where its utility as an instructional tool is amplified by the number of people
who have become familiar with using it. The quality of a well-run synchronous (i.e.,
live, as opposed to pre-recorded) online class can now rival—and in some respects
exceed—the quality of the in-person equivalent.
Supporting a broader range of learning
styles
Synchronous online instruction allows a richer set of interactions. When I am teaching
online, the Zoom “chat” window often becomes a nonstop stream of insightful ideas,
reactions, and web links provided by students. Rather than distracting from the course,
the chat dialog enriches it. Students ask and answer questions from me and from each
other, offer thoughts, and react to posts from their peers. In a recent class discussion
regarding the First Amendment, as soon as I mentioned several related Supreme Court
cases, one of the students dropped links to the rulings into the chat. There’s simply no
analog to this parallel form of engagement in a traditional in-person class.
I’ve also found that there are students who are reticent about speaking up during inperson classes, but comfortable using the chat function in online classes to provide
written comments or questions. It makes me wonder: How many thoughtful,
interesting perspectives went unexpressed in my pre-pandemic in-person classes?
Clearly, there must have been students in those classrooms who would have been
happy to provide their ideas in written form had that been feasible, but who instead
stayed silent because it was not.
Another advantage of online instruction is the expanded ability to invite non-local
guest speakers. In the past two years, I have hosted speakers in my online UCLA
classes from as far away as Argentina. I now marvel at the time inefficiency of some
of the pre-pandemic trips that I made when I was a guest speaker—when I would
spend a full day, and sometimes more, to take a round trip plane flight in order to
spend 90 minutes in a classroom at another university. It’s asking a lot to expect a
guest speaker to devote that much time in order to participate in a single class
meeting. By contrast, online guest appearances take only an hour or two of the
speaker’s time, making the universe of people who are available to speak vastly
larger.
In addition, at the many colleges that currently require students and instructors to be
masked while in a physical classroom, there’s another advantage to online instruction
that’s so obvious and fundamental that it often goes unstated: it’s a lot easier to
understand what someone is saying when you can see their face.
Recognition of the potential advantages of online instruction isn’t new.
A paper published back in 2001 noted that online courses could “address a variety of
learning styles,” allow “access to a larger variety of quality resources,” and enable
instructors to “use creative teaching methods in delivering material.” Due to the
pandemic-induced mass adoption of online college instruction, those predictions have
proven to be true on a scale that would have been hard to imagine two decades ago.
Challenges in online learning
environments
Of course, online learning has downsides as well. As a 2018 paper addressing “Online
learning in higher education” put it, “an online environment might benefit certain
types of engagement, but may also be somewhat of a deterrent to others.”
A key disadvantage to online instruction is that there are categories of courses for
which it falls woefully short—think chemistry laboratories, studio art classes, and the
like. An additional vitally important concern is that online learning can be isolating.
An online class doesn’t allow the level of spontaneous interactions among students
that occur before, in, and after in-person class meetings. That’s an important
mechanism for students to find study partners and teammates for class projects, and
more generally to socialize and to get to know their peers.
There are also well-documented equity concerns with online learning, including the
fact that not all students have a home with access to reliable internet and a computer.
But there are also equity issues on the other side of the ledger. Not all students are in a
position to live on-campus or within easy commuting distance of one. And some
students have caregiving responsibilities for a young child or elderly relative that limit
their flexibility for leaving home. For those students, it can be more equitable to offer
online instruction than to require their presence in a physical classroom.
Rethinking college online instruction
The bottom line is that the preconceived notions that I and many others in higher
education had about the supposedly unambiguous inferiority of online classes have
proven to be wrong. Unfortunately, few college administrators are likely to
acknowledge the advantages of synchronous online instruction. Doing so would call
into question the entire model of the residential college—a concept that is a multibillion-dollar business, a central feature of the American cultural landscape, and a rite
of passage all rolled up into one.
But a more objective, pandemic-seasoned appraisal of online learning would admit
that thanks to technology, the campus classroom—the actual and symbolic core
around which all that college has come to mean is constructed—no longer needs to be
a physical room. We are probably not ready to imagine how higher education might
look if it were redesigned from the ground up, taking full advantage of the
opportunities created by technology to maximize student engagement and
instructional quality, accessibility, and equity.
One thing is sure: It would look very different from the higher education ecosystem
we have today.
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AUTHORS
John VillasenorNonresident Senior Fellow - Governance Studies, Center for Technology
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https://www.universityaffairs.ca/features/feature-article/7-missing-pieces-why-students-prefer-inperson-over-online-classes/
7 missing pieces:
why students prefer
in-person over
online classes
A group of York University students got together to discuss what aspects of in-person classes they miss
most while studying remotely.
BY JOANNE ONG ET AL
DEC 02 2020
York University students chatting and relaxing on campus, pre-COVID. Photo courtesy of York University.
WE
are a group of undergraduate and graduate students from York
University connected with each other through sociology professor Cary Wu’s research methods
courses. Led by Dr. Wu, we recently came together as a virtual group to discuss what makes inperson classes unique and different from online-learning. Through this productive discussion, we
were able to determine what it is about in-person classes that we long for. Here, we share with
you seven main themes that emerged in our conversations.
1. Community and friendship
The physicality of in-person classes presents a sense of community that can easily be lost online.
Students note that in the classroom they can make personal connections with like-minded peers
who share their scholarly interests. This kind of bonding experience is not easily replicated
online, as most students rarely converse with each other during and after an online class.
When you are all in the same physical setting, making connections feels natural and it is
unquestionably easier to reach out to classmates and professors alike. In-person classes lead to
organic discussions where students can bounce ideas off of one another. For remote classes, by
contrast, the on-screen dynamic we have been thrown into is impersonal and largely anonymous.
“There is no sense of friendship or relationship between the students that would usually be built
in traditional in-person classes,” says one student. “I feel like it is a missed networking
opportunity.”
“There is no sense of friendship or relationship between the students
that would usually be built in traditional in-person classes.”
With regard to peer support, options are especially limited for students in online classes.
Generally, when students have questions about course directions, university processes, Moodle,
and so on, they will reach out to their peers. However, now that virtual classes have deprived
students of the opportunity to build rapport with others, some of them do “not feel comfortable
emailing a stranger.”
Graduate students are hit especially hard. One such student indicates that, “As a graduate
student, we often don’t have much spare time for hobbies and seeing friends. Class time, group
meetings, etc., provide us with what is often our only social interaction during a given week. The
loss of this, I believe, is causing a lot of loneliness and grief that should not be understated.”
2. Presence of social cues
Social cues are often missed in online classes, and when we fail to pick up on these cues, we
misunderstand people and situations. Students observe a missing “human aspect” in online
interactions. “It feels as if I’m speaking to myself or filming myself rather than engaging in a
conversation.”
Exacerbating the issue, students may turn off their cameras during an online class and, without
these visual cues, they may not feel safe during classroom discussions and find it difficult to
“develop a sense of trust and familiarity” toward their peers who, against the backdrop of
faceless learning, feel more like “strangers.”
“Without in-person interactions with professors and classmates, some students can struggle to focus during class and refrain from
asking questions.” Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash.
3. Sense of motivation
“I like seeing other people studying in the library because it gives me a sense of motivation and
comfort,” observes one student. Without the option of studying in the library or other shared
study space, students feel their motivation to complete their assignments and prepare for tests
ebbing away. Indeed, the library seems to be a place that nurtures resilience and provides a sense
of comfort and solidarity among students. Another student observes that seeing other students
study makes them realize that they are not the only one struggling, and this drives them to do
their best.
Graduate students also mention that staying after classes to meet with their professors allows
them to connect with their professors in ways that additionally benefit their learning. “Sometimes
it’s not only about learning the material. Establishing a good relationship with a professor allows
me to connect with them in ways that makes me more eager to ask more questions and seek more
answers.”
4. Staying focused
Engagement and focus are vital to the learning process, but are in poor supply under the regime
of online learning. “Without in-person interactions with professors and classmates, some
students can struggle to focus during class and refrain from asking questions.” More directly,
online classes are rife with ready distractions, including “online notifications, chat functions on
Zoom and other household or neighbourhood distractions that cannot be controlled.”
Just the belief that they would do better if schooling were done in-person may subliminally drive
a self-fulfilling prophecy among students in which they feel that they are not well-equipped to
study online and subsequently, care and work less. “Obviously, students have lectures, tutorials,
assignments, tests, quizzes and exams they must do. However, there are more chances for you to
push it off to another day because you do not have to be at the location personally.”
Graduate students are in the same boat. “The act of going into a specific space to study, with a
group of people who can also be interacted with before and after, or during breaks, helps [them]
to remain focused and interested in the topic of the class.”
5. Privacy
At home, but no privacy? Yes, this has become the reality for many students. Virtual meetings in
one’s home does not afford the same level of privacy that in-person and closed-door meetings
do. More likely than not, family members will be home due to the pandemic, and hence, students
may forgo making appointments due to privacy concerns, depriving them of human interaction.
Similarly, some students cannot talk about their issues from home because they do not wish to
have anyone else listen in on what they have to say to their academic advisors. Students also tend
to feel more supported and comfortable when they talk to their academic advisors and counselors
in person.
“Being at home has taken away this sense of routine because there is no necessity to wake early to commute or be somewhere at
a given time.” Photo by Catherine Heath on Unsplash.
6. Sense of routine
Perhaps the cornerstone of high achievement is discipline. Online schooling, however, lacks
structure, and this can affect a student’s grade and experience of the course as a whole. One
student says, “Being at home has taken away this sense of routine because there is no necessity
to wake early to commute or be somewhere at a given time.”
More troubling are the opportunities for procrastination that asynchronous classes afford. Indeed,
without scheduled times, reminders by the professor and regular conversations with classmates
in the lecture hall, it is almost guaranteed that students will fall behind on course readings,
content and lecture material.
This lack of structure can also cause a blurring of boundaries between home and schoolwork. “I
work hard at school so I can relax at home,” but “being home, there are a lot of things that can
distract you from starting work whether it be family who are also staying home, or other things.”
Staying focused is especially hard for students who do not have their own proper learning space
to study at home. “It is hard to focus because I have no space in my room to put a table to study
and in the living room there is so much noise going on. My only solution is to do my work and
study at night when my family goes to bed.”
7. Just being on campus
The simple act of being on campus makes for a positive educational and social postsecondary
experience. Campus provides a sharp distinction between work and home, rather than the
nebulous space students are finding themselves in at present. “I envision my home to be a safe
place, a place that I don’t have to stress in, where I simply relax and forget about the day.”
Campus also provides a necessary common ground for students who live far away from each
other to meet and connect. Perhaps most importantly, campus provides the right kind of learning
atmosphere to study, concentrate and complete assignments. One student notes, “I go to York
every day, even when I don’t have class. I’d arrive at York every day at 7:00 in the morning and
just study till my class started – most of my classes were in the afternoon and I would stay at
York even after all my lectures and tutorials were done till around 5:00. York was the place
where work got done.”
“Even thinking about how long we are going to have to put up with
online schooling is scary … Is this going to be the new reality of
learning for university students?”
Thus, for undergraduate and graduate students alike, online schooling seems to hinder both
educational outcomes and social experiences. “Even thinking about how long we are going to
have to put up with online schooling is scary … Is this going to be the new reality of learning for
university students?”
Students struggle to remain focused, motivated, committed, and there is no longer a sense of
familiarity and community among students and professors. This is not to say that online learning
can only produce negative outcomes, but rather, to acknowledge the difficult challenges it poses
for all students.
Yes, the global pandemic has given students the opportunity to contemplate their educational
experience and truly appreciate the physical space and face-to-face interactions they have had
with their peers and professors on campus. In the midst of the global pandemic, we are
experiencing what it is like to be left to our own devices both figuratively and literally, and the
consensus view among students is that meaningful social interaction stems from campus.
PUBLISHED BY
Joanne Ong et al
Joanne Ong, Rebecca De Santo, Jagdeep Heir, Edmund Siu, Nirosa Nirmalan, Martin B. Ofori, Abiola
Awotide, Okeida Hassan, Raquel Ramos, Taha Badaoui, Victoria Ogley, Christian Saad, Esteban Sabbatasso
and Susan Morrissey Wyse are all students at York University. Cary Wu is a professor of sociology at York.
SEE SIMILAR STORIES
University Affairs moderates all comments according to the following guidelines. If approved, comments
generally appear within one business day. We may republish particularly insightful remarks in our print edition
or elsewhere.
17 Comments
1. Carron Thomas / December 3, 2020 at 09:08
None of the challenges faced by mature students or students who were parents were mentioned
Reply

Whitney / December 9, 2020 at 17:32
With respect, these seem to be problems faced by student who prefer in-person classes. It’s not
that classes move online and suddenly students realize they prefer to be in person, but rather
students who enjoy going to class in person do not like online classes for the reasons listed in this
article.
Some of my students are absolutely thriving. A few students with severe social anxiety, for
example, are doing better than they ever have before. Some others find that the written
discussion space gives them a chance to revise, rewrite, and change the tone of what they’re
trying to ask. In person, the social cues for them are that they should be quiet. Absent those cues,
they are able to take more time shaping how they participate.
Online education is awful for some students but, for others, they’re finally getting what they
have wanted and need (actually wrote about it in the link below). I hope there are options for
both in the future.
https://culanth.org/fieldsights/teaching-with-digital-technology-online-classes
Reply
2. J. Paul Grayson / December 4, 2020 at 09:59
Hi,
It is very important to understand the experiences of students and faculty who have been pushed
into web-based learning as a result of the pandemic; however, they are a particular group of
students and faculty. I dare say, for example, that characterizations of military life would differ
between volunteers and conscripts in a time of war. By implication, it is reasonable to expect that
the experiences of students who voluntarily enrol in web-based courses would be different from
those who are given no option. The same holds for faculty.
It is also important that we don’t stereotype all in-class and all web-based courses. A great deal
of empirical evidence shows that the ‘community’ that many students and faculty associate with
in-class courses only exists for a small minority. Other evidence shows that when designed
properly, web-based courses can be more inclusive, and promote more learning, than their inclass equivalents.
Reply

Charles Yorkson / January 1, 2021 at 15:14
Maybe, though, one could say the same for in-person classes: maybe if they were designed well,
and maybe if universities were not such alienating places in general, they would generate greater
community and so on.
I think one thing we see in discussions of the benefits of online learning is that their supposed
“advantages” are advantages only in the context of a higher education system that has
degenerated.
And instead of asking “what do students prefer” we should ask “what type of university do we
want to create? Just like we should ask “what kind of world do we want?” Do we want one
where more and more of our experience is mediated digitally or actually constituted digitally? Or
do we value sensuous human interaction?
Do we want a university where there are 2 IT people for every 3 faculty (like an external review
of SFU’s IT services showed a few years back)? Or do we want more people directly involved in
education, teaching, mentoring, and so on?
Reply

John Roberts / October 26, 2021 at 14:58
—And instead of asking “what do students prefer” we should ask “what type of university do we
want to create? Just like we should ask “what kind of world do we want?” Do we want one
where more and more of our experience is mediated digitally or actually constituted digitally? Or
do we value sensuous human interaction?
We should be asking neither of these things, but rather what method is most effective. There is
also no single correct answer, some students benefit more from in person, others from online.
Also, I would hesitate to ever use the adjective “sensuous” with regards to in person teaching – it
seems ripe for misinterpretation.
Reply

JeanMcK / November 9, 2021 at 08:15
When you say “what method is most effective”, I would have to ask “for what” and “for whom”?
I think we need to be careful making generalisations (as this article does) about “what works”.
University is not just about learning “content”, but also learning to deal with stress, interact with
people you would not normally encounter, having assumptions challenged academically and, for
want of a better word, morally, and learning to think critically, not just in a discipline, but about
how we live our lives.
A really motivated student who is clued into what university courses want can do very well
remotely. This often is also a great benefit to mature learners or those who cannot move to go to
university. Other students benefit from close interactions with study groups (which need to be
managed as well so as not just to reinforce the existing advantages that some students aarrive
with), faculty as role models, student support systems. We have a number of refugee students
and young people who have no social support system and they gain so much more than learning
acadaemic content. I agree that we need to talk more about what we think a university should be
– and that is more than just what “methods” students have for delivering content.
Reply
3. Marilyn Peterson / December 7, 2020 at 13:23
While I don’t disagree that something is missing from online learning that may be present during
in-person classes, I believe we, as professors, can mitigate some of these by providing more
discussion, more small-group exercises, and more hands-on learning and discovery. Technology
allows us more opportunity for interaction with colleagues around the world and how many of us
take advantage of that?
If we devolve, as professors, to ‘talking heads’ that do not encourage/require participation by
learners, we are to blame, not the ‘distance learing’ model.
Reply
4. Gena Chambers / December 14, 2020 at 14:26
Hello,
I would like to point out how difficult online learning is for students in the arts. I am a Vocal
Performance major so there are several aspects of my degree that are impossible for me to
accomplish under online-only schooling. The cornerstone of my degree is my voice lessons with
my studio professor. Between the limitations of technology and a tiny screen, much of what my
professor can observe and correct is lost. The guided practice of an in-person, one-on-one teacher
in regards to music is priceless, and I find myself at a loss for how to compensate.
Reply

Paul Harrison / December 31, 2020 at 13:31
Yes, and for sciences too! I taught a large science course last semester, and the on-line teaching
went OK, but the students most appreciated the two in-person labs that we were able to offer.
That was a course with a small lab component, but this term we are going to try to run a
laboratory course in which the lab activity is the major component. We will offer a video
recording of staff doing the lab, but that cannot be the same as going in person. Year 2 students
in particular have had their practical experience decimated, and it is challenging to see how to
replace it.
Reply
5. ashlie d ferguson / April 7, 2021 at 10:45
i don’t think this is very reliable
Reply
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https://apicciano.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2023/06/30/cuny-getting-ready-to-launch-major-new-onlineeducation-initiative/
CUNY Getting Ready to Launch Major New
Online Education Initiative!
J UNE 30, 2023
Dear Commons Community,
The City University of New York could offer hundreds of fully online programs by 2030, according to the
public higher education system’s strategic plan released Wednesday.
CUNY set a goal to offer 287 online certificates and degrees in the next several years for students who prefer
flexible options because of their responsibilities to family or jobs, or distance from physical campuses. If
successful in that aim, the expansion would mark a seismic shift for CUNY since students returned to
campus following pandemic-era school closures. In 2021, there were only 82 programs students could
altogether complete online, university data show.
“The prosperity of New York and the legendary cutting-edge talent of CUNY are intertwined,” said CUNY
Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez in a statement.
“Moving forward, it is imperative that we ensure the University’s ability to meet the evolving needs of
students and employers across the region.”
The virtual programs were just one prong of a full seven-year, systemwide plan to increase career
opportunities, student services and research that benefits the public. The process was led by a steering
committee that convened town halls and other sessions over 18 months.
CUNY plans to add 30 online degrees and certificates across 20 campuses over the next year, based in part
on a market analysis of its programs finished in December. Faculty training programs and technology
infrastructure are also being made available.
The faculty union at CUNY has raised concerns.
“We are still learning about this initiative,” Penny Lewis, secretary of the Professional Staff Congress, wrote
in the union newspaper last month. “But what we do know so far has given us cause for alarm.” Lewis said
it seems “extremely likely” that a large online initiative would take time and resources away from current
courses and faculty. She also noted that CUNY already offers the School of Professional Studies, which
specializes in online degree programs.
“We don’t want CUNY to approach the ‘degree mill’ status to which some online programs have sunk across
the country,” Lewis wrote.
The union has already filed charges with the Public Employment Relations Board, a union spokesperson
confirmed, as instructional design work performed by union members would be outsourced under a nearly
$8 million contract approved this spring.
Some faculty at CUNY were teaching online in the late 1990s. This initiative was a long time in coming. We
hope it is implemented successfully and gracefully!
Tony
https://psc-cuny.org/clarion/2022/december/psc-concerns-about-cuny-online/
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HOME » CLARION » 2022 » DECEMBER 2022 »
PSC concerns about CUNY Online
Remote education has its costs.BY PENNY LEWIS, PSC SECRETARY
Editor’s note: On September 22, the New York City Council Committee on Higher Education held a hearing on the future of online
degree programs in the city. Below is a version of the testimony delivered by PSC Secretary Penny Lewis. It has been edited for print
publication.
We have heard from CUNY and see that CUNY is committed to expanding its online degree programs and presence. We come to
you to express our concerns about the possible directions these programs are already taking, and we share our ideas of some best
practices that should be in place as any online expansion is considered.
CREDIT: JUD GUITTEAU
First and foremost, we would like CUNY to be completely transparent about their goals. They should actively and consistently
consult with the union and faculty governance bodies, recognizing the critical roles each group plays in creating high-quality
online degree programs. In particular, CUNY should be consulting with the union and governance bodies regarding the “CUNY
Online” initiative, about which we heard nothing from CUNY in their testimony today. Specific questions about this program
can be found near the end of this testimony.
Further, we are concerned that online is best only for certain students. Its expansion without adequate support for students,
appropriate screening of students and support for faculty teaching the courses will erode academic standards and decrease
student learning and success at CUNY. We know that our colleagues who are currently developing online programs provide
many high-quality online classes at CUNY. But we have two related concerns. Expansion without investment will leave our
online students stranded without necessary support. And, on the other hand, prioritizing online degrees over the in-person needs
of our students will hurt our in-person students.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
For CUNY students, especially in their first year and those returning to their studies after some time away from college, inperson classes provide a continuum of support that is not available in remote classes. Building relationships is central to an
educator’s work, as it also is for advisors and counselors, and remote school makes this connection complicated. Historically,
face-to-face classes and meetings allow these connections to thrive. Many students continue to struggle with injustices that
COVID magnified: not having regular internet access, lack of a quiet place to attend an online class or study, dealing with family
and friends’ deaths and illnesses and unemployment. Online programs offer flexibility, but we hear from colleagues in faculty
and union meetings that this flexibility can be a mirage for many students. While attending synchronous classes, many times
students are off camera, at work or commuting, and faculty are frequently concerned that students are therefore unable to
meaningfully engage or learn. While doing asynchronous classes, our colleagues report that many students are unable to
navigate the self-directed work that such online courses demand, and as a result, there is not adequate classroom engagement to
ensure learning outcomes. There are definitely many students who do navigate both synchronous and asynchronous work well.
But again and again, we hear that students are too often not really learning. This fact should not be a surprise. K–12 education
has found clear evidence of the same.
TIME INTENSIVE
For faculty, prepping for and conducting online classes takes longer than in-person classes. Encouraging adequate engagement
and providing meaningful assessment of students is often more time intensive than in-person classes. At most campuses, CUNY
faculty are often paid a small stipend for developing an online class, but across the campuses there’s rarely additional support
beyond that initial investment. A 2019 study recommended the ratio of student to faculty in online classes be 12-to-1. In order for
the courses to be successful, more faculty are therefore required. Though they may exist, we know of no online degree programs
at CUNY that approaches this best practice for class size. Online courses across the university are frequently over enrolled. At
some campuses, there are jumbo courses with hundreds of students, with limited teaching assistant support. It’s not uncommon
to find courses with already too-high class size caps of 25, 35 and 40 students. We are deeply concerned at the PSC that CUNY
will explore online education as a cost-saving path, when in fact, online education done well demands substantial investment in
faculty training, ensuring small class size and consistent and expansive technical supports for both faculty and students.
Finally, we are concerned that faculty expertise and rights, in addition to general concerns for student success, are being
overridden by administrative pushes for wholly online, asynchronous degrees, as in CUNY Online. Last spring in April 2022,
CUNY’s University Faculty Senate (UFS) received a report prepared by its Committee on Libraries and Information
Technology. The report raised central questions regarding the expansion of online degrees, especially those developed by the
CUNY Online “online program manager.” Below are excerpts from the UFS report, highlighting several key issues:
INTEGRATION OF AN “INDEPENDENT UNIT,” [CUNY ONLINE], WITH THE
PRINCIPLES OF SHARED GOVERNANCE AT CUNY
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What representative bodies govern the development of CUNY Online?
What committees will interact with the unit and what mechanisms will ensure faculty involvement in decision-making?
What kind of ongoing support and training will the OPM [online program management] instructional designers have,
and what rights and responsibilities will they have to engage in decisions guiding the direction of online education at
CUNY?
ACCESS TO CAMPUS RESOURCES FOR FULLY ONLINE STUDENTS

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Will online students have full access to their campus libraries, computer labs, campus Wi-Fi and printing services?
Will they pay the same student activity fee and student technology fee to support such services?
Will fully online students have access to advisors, counselors, food pantries, wellness centers, accessibility/disability
offices, etc.?
Will fully online students have the same opportunities and access afforded to students who are able to access their
home campus or another CUNY campus?
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION AND EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
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What level of orientation to online learning will be provided to students (before and after enrollment), including
minimum tech standards and self-identifying “characteristics of successful online learners”?
Will the online course development adhere to principles of universal design for accessibility?
What plans for continuing assessment will occur with the expansion in online programs, and how will this be
communicated to elected faculty representatives in the UFS?
The union has raised additional questions with management concerning the job titles and job descriptions of the positions
suggested in the CUNY Online materials. The question of faculty rights to intellectual property is also critical, which the UFS
report also raises. The concerns raised in the UFS report are all questions that CUNY should substantially answer before there is
greater investment in more online degrees. The UFS report notes that SUNY Online provides direct assurance that “the faculty
that teach online classes are the same faculty that students learn from on-campus.”
NO ‘CUNY LITE’
The report concluded, “CUNY Online must not become a substandard version of CUNY or ‘CUNY-lite.’ If the online degree
programs do not uphold existing standards for academic excellence, if students are not adequately supported throughout their
studies, how will CUNY protect its hard-earned reputation for providing high-quality, affordable education? We are concerned
that this rapid expansion of CUNY’s fully online degree programs runs the risk of creating a two-tiered university experience
that will ultimately diminish the perceived value of a CUNY degree.”
We recognize that remote education allows students who need the flexibility to better manage work-life issues. Many CUNY
students are juggling jobs, childcare and eldercare, and a remote degree would be attractive to them. At the PSC, we believe
tuition and the cost of attending college should not be a barrier, nor should not having access to affordable and convenient
childcare. As you know, in last year’s budget, we advocated for free tuition and expanding access to affordable childcare. In the
New Deal for CUNY state legislation, supported by the City Council, we ask for more full-time faculty and mental health
counselors and more investment in our deteriorating campuses. We hope that you and CUNY will address these key issues that
we believe are barriers to attending in-person classes in advance of efforts that potentially minimize supports for in-person
teaching and learning.
PUBLISHED: NOVEMBER 21, 2022 | LAST MODIFIED: NOVEMBER 30, 2022
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