Spring Quarter, always a fun time on the Louisiana Tech campus, began Wednesday, March 11. In some ways, it ended Monday, March 16.
Instead of Spring Quarter — graduation and ballgames and Spring Fling and everyone outdoors — all the Bulldogs had to stay at home. COVID-19 Quarter took over.
Tech quickly responded to the challenge and weirdness of it all. In three days, 1,700 classes were moved from the classroom and lab to online and bedrooms, kitchen tables, and backyard porches.
Our students, one from each of Tech’s five colleges, share with us here both their workspaces and experiences with this unparalleled educational experience. Each represents thousands of Tech students who had never heard of Zoom or Mediasite or Respondus before March 16 but were thrown into the COVID Chaos and continued swimming toward their degrees.
- Jada Holmes: ‘Hopefully, we can find the closest thing to normal…’
While lots of people have watched movies for fun to battle quarantine boredom this spring, Louisiana Tech sophomore Jada Holmes has watched them as part of her homework. - Kaelyn Nguyen: Academics, Leadership, and Adaptability in an Unprecedented Situation
Kaelyn Nguyen was preparing for her final quarter as a Louisiana Tech student when she learned that the University was considering moving classes online because of the coronavirus outbreak. - Nicholas Cobb: ‘For once in America…we are all going through the same thing’
Nicholas Cobb used his time of quarantine and distance learning as a time to build up his optimism, resilience, and perseverance. - Kellie Mounger: ‘There is just something different about real interaction with others while learning…’
Wrapping up final projects and taking online exams from her kitchen table or bedroom office is not how Kellie Mounger envisioned her last quarter as an undergraduate. - Brianna Hood: ‘It’s been a big adjustment’
A 2019 Conference USA All-Academic honoree, three-time C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll member and three-time C-USA Academic Medalist, Brianna Hood could get her schoolwork done pretty much anywhere until COVID-19 created the new challenge of spending what would have been her final cross country season back at home.