David Jeffries
4/24/22
Weaver
EngL 1102
Community colleges are an especially important part of high ed. These colleges provide a solid foundation for many students that seek further education. Now with so many students’ academic futures being based on their success at community college, it has become very important to identify and become aware of the issues inflicted by the Covid Pandemic. Only once students identify these issues and overcome them, will they begin to become successful in higher ed.
Higher ed is an interquel part of society and economics. Jobs and careers that require further education are core keystones in the functions of the world. With no capable Doctors the human life span will decline; without any viable architects, homes would become unsafe to live in. We need capable lawyers to represent us in court because without them many people would become suspectable to unjust court rulings. Community colleges provide many opportunities for those who are otherwise unable to delve into these Career pathways due to affordability issues and other school-life balance issues. So, the negative effects of the COVID pandemic become even grander issues when they begin to create problems for Community college students. Students of these intuitions need to be made aware of these problems so that they can plan their higher ed journey accordingly and try to avoid these problems to the best of their ability.
Many Students look to Community colleges for financial relief but with changes in the economy due to covid many students may still need to drop out of college due to money problems. The Center for Community College Student Engagement wrote an article compiling data on the impact of covid on these students. When students were asked about the types of problems that would lead to their withdrawal it was stated that,” 77% of respondents reported that a lack of finances could be such an issue” (Impact of Covid, 5). With the economy taking a hit so did the pockets of many students with The Center for Community College Student Engagement stating that “Twenty-eight percent (n=1,273) of respondents described their household’s financial situation in fall 2020 as worse than it was before the pandemic” (Impact of Covid, 5). Finances have always been a problem for many college students but now Community colleges are unable to adequately subside these financial issues for many.
When students were financially stable and able to stay in school, there were still many COVID caused issues that impaired learning. Mental Health issues and motivation issues made it very difficult for students to remain focused and devoted to higher ed. Christopher Prokes & Jacqueline Housel state in their research paper, “Community College Student Perceptions of Remote Learning Shifts Due to COVID-19″, that “Students commented directly on their mental health citing that they felt depressed Some students directly wrote about their mental health: depressed, anxious, sad”(Prokes and Housel, 7). Prokes and Housel also state in reference to surveyed students that “others more indirectly talk about their lack of motivation and drive to complete their studies (Prokes and Housel, 9).” Without mental stability and ample motivation students may find it difficult to perform well in a college setting.
With the rise of virtual learning due to mandated isolation many students found themselves just not suited for education over the internet. Prokes and Housel collected many student responses, many of whom prefer face to face learning. These students gave many responses detailing their experience with virtual learning such as, “Less class discussion to less ability to understand the content… Felt isolated and detached from education, I am f2f learner… Virtual was harder that the teacher-student connection in class… Not able to build connections with classmates and professor (Prokes and Housel,10).” Connecting to students is an important part of teaching and most teachers have not learned how to create bonds and connect in a digital setting. This can lead to students not being able to acquire information in class as well as they would in a face-to-face setting.
All of these issues that affect community college students come together, compound, and lead to a large decline in community college enrollment. The PPIC (The Public Policy Institute of California) details these declines in its research blog, “The Pandemic’s Effects on Higher Education.” With enrollments down 25% the PPIC states that, “Community college students tend to have fewer economic resources than other college students and were more likely to have been negatively affected by the pandemic” (PPIC, 1). With the increasing number of students opting out of further education the climate of the workforce as well as career pathways may begin to shift greatly.
The COIVD pandemic causes many problems for Community college students, for many students it’s perhaps to much to handle. These colleges need to find new ways to adapt so that its students can become more successful. Some may argue that community colleges already do enough for people in regards of support in stability. Federal aid, flexible learning schedules, and less pressure being some of the ways these institutions try to help. However, during the pandemic many people are forced to stretch and “wear different hats”, why shouldn’t Community colleges? It is not these colleges’ total responsibility to turn all of their students’ lives around, but these intuitions should continue to support their students and communities. There are many ways to accomplish this goal and make student lives just a little easier. Free pandemic counseling coupled with online support groups would go a long way to keep students motivated and boost their morale. People of similar living and financial situations seeing each other, and interacting would allow for students to not feel alone. Updated and well-maintained purified air systems would give students that choose to go back to face to face learning a great piece of mind. It is up to everybody to work together to help provide a better higher ed experience.
Cite
Center for Community College Student Engagement. The Impact of COVID-19 on Entering Students in Community Colleges, Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2021, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED613823.pdf.
Prokes, Christopher. Housel, Jacqueline. Community College Student Perceptions of Remote Learning Shifts Due to COVID-19.TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, https://content.ebscohost.com/ContentServer.asp?T=P&P=AN&K=151333113&S=R&D=eue&EbscoContent=dGJyMNHr7ESeqLI4v%2BbwOLCmsEqep7VSsai4SbGWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMOXp80m549%2BB7LHjfPEA.
Saul, Stephanie. “The Pandemic Hit the Working Class Hard. The Colleges That Serve Them Are Hurting, Too.” The New York Times, 20 April 22, p.1, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/us/politics/covid-19-colleges.html
Chamlou, Nina. “The Effects of COVID on Community Colleges and Students.” Affordable colleges., 20 April 22, p.1, https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/news/covid-and-community-college/