In the modern day, most assignments have moved from paper and pencil to completely online. Advancements in technology have made it so individuals can do a whole school day from the comfort of their home. This not only makes things easier for students, but also for teachers.
The con to this online learning is that technology is not 100% reliable. Websites can crash and Wi-Fi can go out. So, what does one do in this situation? Recently, NIU had this experience, with WiFi going out sporadically across campus for the last two weeks; and it was far from easy to navigate.
As a student enrolled in 18 credit hours (nine in-person and nine online courses) it was a major hassle to try and stay on top of my school work. Especially because for my asynchronous online classes, the only way I can contact my professors is via email; so, the multiple days of no Wi-Fi made it hard to even reach them.
The only way I was able to get any service was by going somewhere off campus. While it was inconvenient, it was not that difficult for me, since I have a car on campus. However, not every student has that luxury.
It is unacceptable to expect students to be able to finish things on time if they do not have the proper resources to do so. The Wi-Fi shortage affected most areas on campus, so students were even having difficulty doing their work in the dorms. NIU should have had professors delay due dates if students were unable to even connect to any educational sites.
To top things off, we as students pay for this Wi-Fi. The “ResNet Access & Support” fee is something that students pay each semester and is $95. This cost covers the Wi-Fi that is provided in all campus related buildings. It is crazy to think that we are paying for this Wi-Fi that left students unable to access the internet for days on end.
Not to mention, this is not the first time the Wi-Fi has acted up. There have been multiple times where poor connections have left students and teachers at a loss. NIU needs to do a better job.
We are paying for this; therefore, we deserve quality service, not Wi-Fi that is continuously going out, leaving faculty and students struggling to keep up. If coursework has evolved to being mostly online, then we should have top-tier network connections to be able to do these assignments.
