Once classes resume in-person, the Northern Star Editorial Board thinks students should still be able to attend class virtually if they are unable to attend class in person. We suggest a Zoom or virtual class being set up alongside the regular in-class lectures. Providing a digital option would help students who may be available during class time but unable to attend in person. 

While we are not educators or school administrators, we think implementing some additional lecture “recording” system like this could help reduce absences and foster more opportunities for students by making learning more accessible.

The editorial board suggests that teachers run a video call and share their screen with virtual attendees so students can see and hear what’s being presented while an instructor teaches. This would take a bit of extra effort on the teacher’s part; we are not indifferent to the fact that their job is hard enough; however, we think this effort will be worth the payoff. 

Every student can remember a time when they did not feel emotionally well enough to get out of bed and go to class, yet they were forced to suffer through class, and chances are they learned nothing. Students have car troubles and can’t make it to class. Students get sick and they can’t make it to class. But if they could join a Zoom call from home and still attend and learn, that would make up for the challenges the teachers would have to overcome. 

We are not saying this provision should be an excuse for students to not come to class. Students should be required to have a legitimate reason to use the virtual option. 

We are also not suggesting that this change replaces the in-person experience. However, we understand that education will never be the same after this pandemic. Everyone will have to adapt. This is one way that the editorial board thinks would be a good way to adjust. 

While we cannot offer a teacher’s perspective on exactly how they would implement such a change, we want to offer a student’s viewpoint. The editorial board believes integrating a virtual option would be a good way to accommodate more students and situations post pandemic.