The outbreak of COVID-19 has forced the UR community to dramatically change our approach to education in a very limited amount of time. Professors and students alike have had to very quickly adapt to a new form of learning. We are all accustomed to in-class discussions, face-to-face conversations, and perhaps most importantly, fixed schedules. Now all of those things are no longer a reality. In “COVID-19 versus higher ed: the downhill slide becomes an avalanche,” Bryan Alexander makes some key points about the negative impacts he expects the COVID-19 outbreak to carry out on higher education. Although he argues persuasively about the severe problems that colleges may face, he not only avoids the possible solutions to those issues, but also misses the positive possibilities that this new situation has to offer. The shift to online learning will undoubtedly encourage poor time management skills, the revelation of economic hardships many students face, and low motivation across the student body. These are, however, issues that have long been prevalent in our community. They are just now becoming more pronounced. So the skillset we develop during this pandemic on how to navigate them will not only serve to make this time as educationally beneficial as possible, but will improve our community as a whole.

Our education at the University of Richmond, especially for me as a Humanities student, relies heavily on conversation. And when it comes to open conversation, it is important that both parties feel that there is a fair opportunity to speak and that they are being heard. All of my professors emphasize discussions and believe that having an open and thorough conversation is the most effective way to generate ideas and creativity. I know that to be the reality for many UR students. Although some professors have decided to drop that approach completely, believing virtual communication to not be nearly as effective as real-life conversations, many have carried on through video chats. What I think professors must acknowledge, however, is that an online conversation is significantly more awkward than a real-life interaction. Online, it's harder to interpret facial expressions and body language, all things we subconsciously do and don't realize the importance of until we no longer have them.

Now that professors can no longer directly interact with their students, our roles as Writing Consultants are more heightened than ever. Although professors are undoubtedly experts in their fields of study, their job is in teaching content and the rules of their subjects. We are the ones who are taught how to best construct an effective and concise form of written communication. As Writing Consultants, we have learned that many students are coming into The Writing Center not because they want to but because they have to. Whether it be due to a requirement from a professor or because they have put their work to the last second and no longer have any other options, we are used to encountering disinterested or panicking students. There are also students who feel a sense of embarrassment in reaching out to the Writing Center because of the notion that at such a competitive university, reaching out for help somehow signifies being less intelligent or falling behind the rest of the UR community. In these types of situations, we have to be careful in how we navigate our conversations with the students to ensure that we do not accidentally make them feel as if that belief is true.

So for a student body that already struggles with reaching out for help, the additional challenges that come with virtual learning appear daunting. We Consultants are always encouraged to talk to the writers first and to build a rapport that makes us less of an authority figure and thus makes the writer feel comfortable talking to us. In fact, we are encouraged to write our comments in a way that pushes the writer to think of how they can improve their work by themselves. Don't tell them what they should do, make them come to that conclusion on their own. But virtual learning is different. It is much more difficult to have a friendly and open conversation through a keyboard or even through a camera because there is an additional barrier between you and the writer. With that, it's difficult to figure out how the writer is taking the critiques, what they are thinking, and how well they're receiving the comments. Luckily, we have spent many hours learning how to write comments in a way that feels constructive instead of demeaning and how to give the floor to the writer, so that they are the ones leading the conversation and getting the most out of the interaction. George Cooper, Kara Bui, and Linda Riker provide some useful techniques when it comes to virtual consultations in "Protocols and Process in Online Tutoring." They insist that a "writer's first encounter with an online tutor sets the tone for everything that follows," as the writer will approach our comments with their impression of us (Cooper et al. 130.) Even though it is easy to get to the “point much quicker” in written communication, the authors encourage us to still establish a friendly relationship with the writers because then, the writer will be more inclined to think of our comments as constructive instead of hostile (Cooper et al. 131). These are skills we have to put to use because the role of the Writing Center has become significantly more relevant.

Something I've noticed at this university, being a lower-income student, is that there's often a disconnect between students like me and the larger community. I'm hoping that the outbreak has brought in opportunities for everybody to be a little bit more understanding and listen a little bit more when it comes to reasons why students might be struggling a little bit more with their assignments. I went through a really difficult financial situation these past few months. Coming into my second semester, I had a lot of stress, pressure and responsibility on my mind that had nothing to do with my academic education. It was so much more difficult for me to keep my focus on my coursework, despite being someone who values academics greatly. There were times where I wished I could have spoken to a professor about my situation because although I wanted to do my best on assignments, I was completely overwhelmed. However, I had a conversation with a professor that made my hesitance persist. For a course that had quite a few books as required readings, I started looking at online versions or cheaper versions of the texts. But when I spoke to the professor about it, he insisted that I buy everything, casually throwing in that the books really weren't that expensive. It was a very small moment that meant no offense but still struck me heavily.

I could also speak at length about having difficulty maneuvering between coursework and other responsibilities because of my exhausting work hours, but it rarely struck anybody as strange. In fact, most professors insist on a zero flexibility rule and although I’ve always respected it, I could not help but feel as if it closed off a window of communication. I have never thought of myself nor ever been a lazy student who lacks motivation, intelligence or capability and I always wished that there was a chance for me to express that. Now that this outbreak has happened, everybody’s situations have become more obvious. Mostly everyone has been understanding of the fact that a lot of students are either struggling with health or finances at home, along with the fact that they no longer have a structured schedule they are forced to stick to. I think the university made the right decision in letting students drop the grade for a class for this semester, as we all had to manage an abrupt and massive change in our lives. However, although I would not be opposed to some leniency, I would not advise the same practice to continue on to next semester because it provides an opportunity for students to become unmotivated. For example, this semester, the Writing Center partnered with Deep Run High School to familiarize high school students with the kind of writing ability that will be required of them at college and to provide extra practice for training Writing Consultants. However, as soon as Henrico County Public Schools ended grading, the project failed.

Most first-years struggle with adjusting to the expectations of college writing and although it meant less work for me, the Deep Run students missed a rare opportunity to make their college careers easier. Later they may fall into the trap described in “A Kind Word for Bullshit: The Problem of Academic Writing,” where Philip Eubanks and John D. Schaeffer explore insincerity – and often, laziness – with which some writers approach an assignment. They claim that the worst thing in student writing is disengagement, which they describe as “the disregard for the truth […] [and the] pretense that the writer truly cares” for the subject they are writing about (Eubanks and Schaeffer 386). This is an issue that professors and Writing Consultants have undoubtedly already encountered, but I expect that too much leniency in regards to academic performance will only make it worse. Instead, I would encourage professors not to shy away from passion projects or assignments, taking advantage of this time to intellectually and creatively stimulate their students. Although the COVID-19 outbreak is undoubtedly a dark time, it has presented opportunities to deeply analyze and criticize politics, socioeconomic statuses, and the economic development of our nation. And so, although we are changing the ways in which we engage academically, I think it necessary to keep that engagement going.

Online learning has presented students with free rein over their schedules, which has also presented the problem of poor time management. While I think that most students do not necessarily want to lose focus, balancing activities effectively proves significantly more difficult when there is not a schedule to stick to. Of course, there are professors who are holding Zoom sessions at the same time that they would hold regular classes, but it is still not a consistent schedule. Most students have one, maybe two classes that there are required to attend weekly and outside of that, have no time commitments. And even for the required virtual sessions, most professors cannot assign in-class work or mandate note-taking the way they would in a physical classroom. So with motivation at an all-time low and a decreasing time dedication to academic work, I think it's really important for Writing Consultants to set strict guidelines. I know that in the past, it's been really easy for me to go up to Writing Consultants and say that I didn't complete my draft or to reschedule a meeting last minute, but I don’t think that should be tolerated, now. In The Transition to College Writing, Keith Hjortshoj emphasizes the importance of reworking a paper several times, because most of the papers that students write are only drafts, as they are “unrevised and poorly edited” (Hjortshoj 58). In order to produce the best work, students must be committed to dedicating time to their writing, which constitutes a heavily vetted and edited draft. Already, this is something we struggle with, as many students are rushing to turn in assignments without dedicating the proper focus to them. We need to be strict in the times we set and drafts we require from students, for both of our best interests. But with that comes responsibility that students need to accept. The forced scheduling will not only make the Writing Consultants’ jobs easier, but it will push the students back into a daily rhythm.

The COVID-19 outbreak has undoubtedly presented the UR community with a significant set of challenges, but I believe that with focus and determination, we can learn to navigate this strange new situation. This university has some of the brightest students in the nation, all of whom are heavily dedicated to their academic pursuits. It will involve some heavy reorganization and difficult transitions, but I highly doubt that a pandemic is enough to stop us from receiving the education we are so committed to.

Works Cited

Alexander, Bryan,. “COVID-19 versus Higher Ed: The Downhill Slide Becomes an Avalanche.” Bryan Alexander, 31 Mar. 2020, https://bryanalexander.org/future-of-education/covid-versus-higher-ed-the-downhill-slide-becomes-an-avalanche/

Cooper, George, et al. “Protocols and Process in Online Tutoring.” A Tutors' Guide: Helping Writers One to One. Ed. Bennett A. Rafoth. Boynton/Cook Publishers, 2005, pp. 129-139.

Eubanks, Philip, and John D. Schaeffer. “A Kind Word for Bullshit: The Problem of Academic Writing.” College Composition and Communication, vol. 59, no. 3, 2008, pp. 372–388.

Hjortshoj, Keith. The Transition to College Writing. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.