With classes going online, the 2020-2021 school year marked an inflection point for higher education. And as Southern Nevada’s college students head back to UNLV and local community colleges, they’re returning to campuses that have fundamentally changed. Some professors will be teaching in person, but others will continue with online instruction, exclusively or as part of a hybrid model.

Even when we move past the pandemic, colleges might never be the same. The U.S. Department of Education is investing $10 million in a research center that will explore strategies for managing online learning. Some specific goals include building students’ sense of belonging, improving note-taking and creating a best tools and practices resource to address the unique challenges of remote learning.

A broader online option can be a boon for students requiring more scheduling flexibility and those who prefer to go at their own pace. Others might feel like they’re missing out on a full college experience. “I do like how I am slightly more organized at home when it’s online classes, but being in person is a better experience for me,” says Samantha Kabiling, a UNLV junior majoring in PR and marketing. “I enjoy talking to others about work, classes and anything else. I can still do that online, but it’s not the same going up to them to give them a handshake or hug and talk.”

For professors, the transition has been a mixed bag. One CSN professor, who prefers to remain anonymous, enjoys the democratic nature of online classes. Where a regular classroom might be dominated by a handful of students while shier ones slink away in the back of the room, online classes can sometimes encourage more reticent students to fully engage. (Gen Zers, who have never known life without the internet, are apparently also more comfortable experiencing their collegiate lives, like their social lives, online.)

Professors are also noting new skill sets emerging. Young, tech-savvy students are learning to put together multimedia presentations that reflect what they’re learning in real life, not just what they’re learning in textbooks, says a UNLV professor who also prefers not to be identified. Those students are learning to work collaboratively with peers through platforms like Zoom, readying them for workplaces that are also undergoing upheavals in structure, with more employees working remotely.

What’s lost in translation with distance learning? That hallowed tradition of a college education, the face-to-face interaction with peers and professors, a free-flowing exchange of ideas in a setting striving to foster inclusivity and creativity. “With communication online, email is the fastest and most effective way to reach your professor, but in-person is also helpful to connect more and have that one-on-one session,” says Angelique Guillermo, a third-year pre-nursing student at UNLV. “I feel like there is more of a connection through in-person meetings than just phone calls or emails or even on Zoom.”

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