The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed the lives of every person across the planet, and as students attending a University in the United States, the change in our education has been a topic that directly affects us. Being a student at the University of Delaware went from a learning experience of in-person lectures, weekly trips to the library and favorite studying spaces, study groups, interactive education, and more. It was a time period of being enriched with knowledge, new experiences, and new people in ways most of us have never had before. Now, we, along with students from other universities, high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools are confined to learning from a computer screen in our bedrooms. It has been a sudden change and adjustment that I have never expected, and unfortunately this new way of learning will not return to the old for some time to come.

It is safe to say that the quality of most of our classes has dropped, as online zooms and tests are just not equivalent to the more face-to-face education we were previously receiving. Not only are we not learning as effectively as we could, but college is not cheap. With the disappointing realization that our lives are not going back to normal anytime soon, the growing concern for college students across the country is this large group of people “…are still paying big prices for an online education product that typically costs less, that researchers believe is less effective and that students and professors find less valuable” (Hess, 2020). It is a reasonable concern for those paying so much for the new online education, and I personally know people who are considering attending or transferring to community colleges during this time, or even taking a gap year from high school to their freshman year of college.

Teachers and professors of all grade levels must also prepare to continue this way of teaching for upcoming semesters and school years. This is not an easy time for anyone, and it can also be difficult on our educators, as zoom sessions can be easily interrupted, skipped, or lack the attention of students; of course, this does not include most students, many of whom are paying the absurd college expenses. In a Forbes article written by a college professor, wrote, “Our relationship is based on trust: they want to be taught as productively as possible in the best possible way under the present circumstances, and I want to do the same, teach the the best way possible under the current circumstances” (Dans, 2020). Family friends of mine who work with students who may have learning disabilities or require more attention are working extra hours every day, zooming one-on-one with the students to make sure they are able to still keep up when learning is even more difficult.

Another big concern in the change to more online education moving forward with the pandemic, is the large gap it is creating for students who do not have the access to quality technology or internet connection. This is a big issue in rural communities, lower income communities, and impoverished countries. It is affecting students of every age, and it is a situation that should be addressed moving forward. Authors Gloria Tam and Diana El-Azar of a the article “3 Ways the Coronavirus Pandemic could Reshape Education” write, “…the less affluent and digitally savvy individual families are, the further their students are left behind. When classes transition online, these children lose out because of the cost of digital devices and data plans.” The more alarming part of this is that lower-quality education in these areas is not new. In fact, “Most education systems in low- and middle-income countries were grossly underfinanced even before the coronavirus crisis”(Thomas, 2020).

Among the many changes caused by this pandemic, the education system is one that will most likely remain different than the norm moving forward, as schools will need to be very cautious in having students return to campuses and classrooms.

Works Cited


Dans, Enrique. “How Coronavirus Is Going To Change Education Forever.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Mar. 2020, http://www.forbes.com/sites/enriquedans/2020/03/24/how-coronavirus-is-going-to-change-education-forever/#774be97e4dfe.

Hess, Abigail J. “How Coronavirus Dramatically Changed College for over 14 Million Students.” CNBC, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2020, http://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/26/how-coronavirus-changed-college-for-over-14-million-students.html

Tam, Gloria, et al. “3 Ways the Coronavirus Pandemic Could Reshape Education.” World Economic Forum, 13 Mar. 2020, http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/3-ways-coronavirus-is-reshaping-education-and-what-changes-might-be-here-to-stay/.


Thomas, Christopher J. “Coronavirus and Challenging Times for Education in Developing Countries.” Brookings, Brookings, 14 Apr. 2020, http://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2020/04/13/coronavirus-and-challenging-times-for-education-in-developing-countries/.