Left to right, education senior Emma Barnes, studio art senior Nora Lincoln, and graphic design senior Zoya Shevchenko study on their balcony Sept. 4, 2020. (Photo by: Annie Barker)
Since Aug. 18, when President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced that Michigan State would transition to a fully online curriculum for the fall semester, a transition began for the students as well. Gone is the lecture hall, computer lab, science lab and every other form of traditional classroom. Instead, the students of MSU have begun to work in their very own COVID classrooms. This photo story is a compiled gallery of work submitted by each member of our photo desk, to visually depict what a COVID classroom looks like during the fall semester of 2020.
Students are Zooming in from their bedrooms, living rooms and balconies, sometimes with roommates or would-be classmates but often alone. Many are feeling the loss of daily socialization.
Unlike the learning environment of previous semesters, students are faced with a learning environment that doubles as their living space. Rather than straight rows of seats facing a projector, lost in a sea of faces, students are surrounded by pets, snacks and roommates.
The isolating atmosphere of online classes has tainted the spaces that easy laughs and stress-free conversations used to dominate. Many MSU students report feeling overwhelmed by the idea of working toward a college degree, seemingly on their own. Some students forget to "Pause & Breathe" long enough to correctly spell out the reminder.
Photographers who contributed to this project include:
Annie Barker, Lauren DeMay, Alyte Katilius, Di'Amond Moore and Lauren Snyder.
