Education has been a uniquely interactive experience in the past, with communication and copresence forming effective student-teacher dynamics. With the current pandemic, it has become clear that such an experience is impossible to replicate in a digital classroom. Issues that range from communication to scheduling have restricted the effectiveness of the Distance Learning programs here at IHS, and have illustrated that further improvement is necessary, particularly when considering that digital learning may continue in the future. As such, the IHS administration should take steps towards codifying a set of standards and regulations to build a more coherent school experience, preferably with student input.
Throughout this transition, lack of communication between administrators and students has led to disagreement, confusion, and general panic. Many students still report that emails from the administration containing essential information do not appear in their inboxes. This is disappointing, as it should be a basic expectation that communication is quick and effective between the administration and the student body.
Weeks after schools first shut down, the administration sent a timetable to students illustrating when classes would be scheduled. However, many teachers neglected to follow the timetable, and due to the aforementioned communication issues, many students were unaware that such a timetable existed. As a result of this inconsistent standard, some students had to choose to go to one of two or more classes that were occurring simultaneously. This overlap is a problem because if many students in a class cannot make it to a video call, the effectiveness of the calls as a means of learning is undermined from the start.
Similarly frustrating were the differing levels of difficulty and inconsistent workloads between classes. Some classes had much more work assigned than others, making them significantly more challenging and time-consuming. Even between classes of the same level (AP, Honors, Regents), work levels were inconsistent. The difference between digital assignments and normal assignments was also felt acutely: in a digital classroom, tests are a rare occurrence and Google Form assignments seem to be the new norm.
The matter of grades in the digital classroom raises another challenging question: how could students be fairly evaluated on a numeric system when assignments were so different from typical schoolwork? The administration decided to offer a choice between numeric grades and pass-fail to students, a decision that sought to appease the majority of our student body. However, whether there are other, fairer methods of grading students on Distance Learning work is an avenue that has yet to be explored. With the middle schools adopting the 1-2-3-4 rating system that is ubiquitous in elementary schools and other districts moving towards grades that rely upon levels of mastery, it would be beneficial for both students and teachers to see the adoption of an unconventional grading standard to match the peculiarity of the current situation. Given the new responsibilities placed upon students–such as caring for younger siblings — a shift of grading standards towards levels of mastery could better evaluate students during this time.
With the introduction of guidelines and regulations regarding the new classroom, the administration can streamline the online learning experience. To begin with, maintaining separate policies on due dates, grading, and late work for each individual course was reasonable in an era in which teachers could physically meet and discuss terms, but the newfound reliance on platforms such as Google Classroom means that any disparity between the policies of different teachers introduces unnecessary complications. As a remedy, the administration should outline a policy requiring all due dates to be set to 11:59 PM. This would clear up any complications that may arise due to irregular due times for each individual assignment, in addition to providing teachers with an enforceable standard by removing any uncertainty regarding due dates.
During the transition, some teachers chose to upload pre-recorded instructional videos, which helps alleviate scheduling issues for many students. However, such videos better serve as supplements to the learning experience rather than replacements, since students are unable to communicate with teachers or peers in a pre-recorded format. In the pursuit of creating an interactive learning experience, it should be an expectation that classes come together on video calls, rather than rely on instructional videos or office hours, but these classes would only be possible with a centralized schedule.
The enforcement of such a schedule should be the responsibility of the administration. Although daily classes for each course seem unsustainable and unnecessary as of now, there should be classes at least twice a week for each course. These classes should not be office hours, which should have their own time slots, and should instead be a place where teachers would explain their content for the week and students would ask questions. This would replicate the interactive experience that was previously created by a real life school environment.
Furthermore, there must be clearer communication about the content and workload of each class. Teachers should communicate with administration to establish the number of assignments or hours of work for their class per week, and afterwards, this information should be shared with students for clarity. A clear syllabus and timeline should also be developed for each class, so students know exactly what content will be covered, and thus feel more informed about their learning experience.
These new standards must be accommodating to the fact that we are in the midst of a global crisis and that many in our community are still coping with the economic and social consequences. Students with household issues, work, or other concerns should be able to communicate directly with their teachers or administrators about issues with their schedule or the completion of their schoolwork, and these issues must be considerately addressed on a case-by-case basis. ICSD worked hard to accommodate students with a wide variety of needs during this transition, and it should be an expectation that the standard that has been set will be rigorously upheld.
The existence of technical difficulties and issues during this transition to a digital learning experience was inevitable. If governments and multinational corporations are struggling to adjust to this new paradigm of pandemic-laden concerns, it follows that school administrators and teachers have been facing a variety of complications as well. We appreciate the effort of the ICSD community to create this prototype of a digital classroom. Among other successfully executed transitions, the administration’s tech support hotline has been handling student concerns efficiently during these trying times. However, it is important that we continue to improve our learning experience to make it more interactive, cohesive, and accommodating, even in the midst of this pandemic. As a result, we urge the IHS administration to create stronger standards for this new learning environment.