The decision to take online classes was easy for Shazad Hussain ’21. “I knew my semester was going to be extremely busy. It was going to be tough juggling in-person classes, my job, and an internship,” says Hussain, who took a total of four online classes at John Jay. “Taking classes online has allowed me to balance all my responsibilities and give them all equal effort.” For students embarking on distance learning for the first time this week, Hussain is confident they will adapt easily and quickly. “The transition to distance education will require some adjustments, but students will find that taking online courses is not difficult at all. There are an abundance of resources available to us, and the support from faculty, advisors and the rest of the John Jay community is immense.

Access teacher support
When Hussain was going through a tough time and had trouble concentrating on his studies, he contacted one of his teachers online. “I was running out of deadlines and was overwhelmed with the amount of work I had to catch up on. I decided to contact my teacher and explain the situation to him. I was actually surprised at how understanding he was,” says Hussain. The professor’s quick and empathetic response reassured Hussain that he was not navigating his lessons alone; his teacher was there to support him. “It became very clear to me that the teachers were always there to help. They were very responsive to all emails I sent. They were willing to arrange appointments and even phone calls to help me with any difficulties I had. It is extremely easy to communicate with them digitally,” says Hussain, who cites the help of his teachers as one of the keys to succeeding in his classes. “If my teacher was so understanding of my underage situation, I’m sure given our current climate, there will be even more flexibility and support from our teachers now.”

Communicate with peers
Feedback and interaction with classmates also plays a key role in student success with online courses. And although the transition to distance learning has raised concerns about feelings of isolation, Hussain appreciated the online community he had with his classmates. “Just because classes are online now doesn’t mean you lose the classroom vibe,” he says, pointing out that chat rooms are a great way to start conversations and keep them going. “Online forums create a community. And although we didn’t have face-to-face engagement, my classmates and I communicated directly through these forums. We had the opportunity to comment on each other’s work, provide feedback and bring class banter to an online platform. Hussain also notes that students can use other technologies such as Zoom and even FaceTime to maintain contact with their peers. “So if you have a question or are confused about anything, just ask. We’re all in this together and I know we’ll continue to support each other.