Dr. Amy Nyberg remembers the shock when Seton Hall announced that the campus was being closed due to COVID-19. Nyberg, a journalism professor at the university for over 30 years, was challenged with learning new technological features and finding the best method to teach her students virtually.
“We were told that we’re closing the university for three days and then you’re moving to online instruction,” Nyberg said. “It was very sudden, very abrupt.”
Seton Hall suspended in-person learning on March 11, 2020, and this was upheld for the remainder of the semester. Professors panicked, students were forced to learn online, and everyone was stuck at home. The university had to act quickly to provide the best method of education for its students.
March marks the fifth anniversary of the pandemic’s onset, and its impact on Seton Hall remains years later.
Dr. Jon Kraszewski, a Seton Hall visual and sound media professor, recalls the fear that he and his colleagues felt.
“I immediately sensed panic,” Kraszewski said. “Dr. Chris Sharrett was my mentor, the person who I’d go to for calm…when I heard him full of anxiety, I was like, ‘What is going on?’”
There was a feeling of uncertainty among the professors, many of whom lacked technological savviness. The university, knowing the anxiety was high, needed to act accordingly.
Seton Hall put time and money into preparing the professors, including training sessions. Kraszewski and Nyberg believed that it would be nearly impossible to seamlessly transition to online learning; nothing could replace teaching in the classroom.
Declan Harkness, a class of 2023 graduate, was a runner on the cross-country team for four years at Seton Hall. When he arrived for school and the upcoming running season in the fall of 2020, he knew everything would be drastically different what it was in his freshman year. Masks were mandatory indoors, and the runners were no exception.
“I definitely missed going to the gym without a mask,” Harkness said.
Irritation while wearing a mask was one of many issues that students had. Multiple students noticed a deterioration in their social skills after not talking to their peers for nearly five months, and still had restricted social interaction for the next year. This affected some students in the long run, causing them to speak less in social situations and the classroom, even after the pandemic was over.
Seton Hall professors were noticing a lack of motivation upon returning to in-person education under a hybrid format. Some students disregarded assignments and refused to turn their cameras on, despite being in class.
“Coming back, for a year or two, it wasn’t the same,” Kraszewski said. “I don’t think you’re going to believe this: the year after COVID, only one out of 16 showed up to present for senior seminar.”
This presentation for this senior seminar class counted as a major portion of the students’ grade. Kraszewski said he had never seen such little participation, and he noticed a clear lack of skills in the students who took classes during the pandemic; he recognized that this is no coincidence and that in-person teaching methods have proven far superior for his courses.
Fortunately, Kraszewski said he has seen class participation return to the level it was at prior to COVID-19, but it wasn’t an overnight switch.
The hybrid method that Seton Hall implemented for fall 2020 was called HyFlex, and it separated the students for safety purposes. Half of the students attended class on Monday, while the other half attended class on Tuesday; this cycle continued throughout the week, rotating which students attended in person. The students were each given an A, B, or C label that determined when they’d join class. The professors would teach both online and in-person groups of students simultaneously, providing an outlet for all students to comfortably learn.
It was implemented on August 24, 2020, and lasted until November 12, 2020, when the university closed because of an increase in COVID-19 cases; the format returned for the spring 2021 semester.
Surrounded by temptation and the ability to get away with being on their phones more easily, the lecture occasionally became background noise to the students’ ears. Students admitted to having difficulty focusing on coursework while they were inside the comfort of their homes.
“Virtual learning was harder because of the distractions,” said Kenneth Yumang, a fifth-year senior. “It made it easy to focus on something else instead of the lecture.”
Not only did the professors want to prevent a lack of attentiveness, but they also wanted to form meaningful relationships with their students. However, it felt far from normal, with precautions such as social distancing and wearing masks.
Nyberg, who plays oboe with the Seton Hall orchestra, said she would often catch herself reminiscing about rehearsing on campus. She added that she missed the camaraderie of playing alongside talented, passionate instrumentalists who pushed her to be at her best.
“Being in-person is very different from talking to somebody on Teams,” Nyberg said. “I never felt like I made that same connection. That made it really hard.”
Matthew Soetebeer is the former head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at matthew.soetebeer@student.shu.edu.
