One of the biggest changes that Marshall has made to the fall semester is moving most of the fall courses to a virtual format. 

Before the semester started, most of the fall classes were moved online in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and now most classes meet through Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or they have no meeting times at all. 

Julia Costello, a freshman music education major, said while she prefers face-to-face learning, most of her professors have been very accommodating. 

“I think they are doing a great job, and I really think the safety of the students is most important,” Costello said. “If they think virtual is the way to go, then I support it 100%.”

Costello said one of the challenges that she encounters with virtual classes is the ability to get distracted easily. 

“You have all your electronics very accessible. It’s easy to just open another tab and do something else,” Costello said.

Andrew Brown, a freshman jazz studies major, said the biggest challenge he faces is keeping up with deadlines. 

“As for the software that’s needed to submit assignments, it has been an interesting change to everything that I’ve come across,” Brown said.

Brown said that while he does feel more challenged with the work, the virtual class setting has gone smooth for him.

The ongoing pandemic has provided many challenges for the school in the midst of getting adjusted to the new school year, but students seem to have adjusted really well to the new format despite the sacrifices needed to be made.

Jonathan Still can be contacted at [email protected]