The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting everyone’s lives—and students at the University of Colorado Boulder are no exception. From moving off campus to adjusting to classes online, the lives of students have turned upside down in a relatively short period of time.

We invited students to document their experience transitioning to remote learning. Here is what one of them said:

COVID-19’s largest impact is the fact that I somehow need to learn lab skills online. Next week in my lab course, I would finally have been able to test whether a gene that I had researched for the first half of the year actually plays a significant role in autophagy, the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells. 

Instead, I will be analyzing other people’s data from prior semesters. I will still be able to learn about data analysis, but I lost opportunities to practice specific lab techniques.

Still, the shift has been pretty smooth. A lot of resources for my courses were online before the switch, so it was just a matter of adding lecture videos. 

However, I have found it more difficult to focus when my professor is on my computer screen as opposed to listening in-person. There are a lot of resources online that help me figure out Zoom, navigate lecture captures, and stay focused while learning from home. 

I’ve found it helpful to make a new routine and stick to it. Even though I can watch a lecture capture at any time, it’s nice to have specific hours set aside for schoolwork. I also go outside at least once a day, even if it's walking the dog or getting the mail. It helps get my blood flowing and prevents me from getting too stir crazy.

I think this change will be a good way to practice self-discipline and develop good study habits. The experience helped me see how helpful CU Boulder is in crises, and it reminded me that I tend to focus better on class material when it’s taught in-person.

I’m excited to come on campus and do science again!