College Without the Classroom: How Online and Video-Conference Classes at UVI Compare to Traditional Courses

(published on http://uvivoice.net/2015/04/26/college-without-the-classroom-how-online-and-video-conference-classes-at-uvi-compare-to-traditional-courses/ on April 26, 2015)

ARIGE SHROUF |                                                                                                  

ST. CROIX— It’s 4 o’clock on a Monday afternoon as Sarah Jagrup heads to her first class of the new semester. A brief glance at her schedule indicates she has Caribbean Literature in room 401 from 4-5:15 p.m. She is unaware that the class is a video conference course or that the professor is on St. Thomas as she enters the theater in the Evans Center Building.

She walks in to find the room in complete darkness and completely empty. Sarah double-checks the room and time on her schedule. Reassured, she turns on the lights and makes her way to the center of the room as she waits for her classmates and her professor to arrive.

Ten minutes pass and nothing happens. She is still alone in the largest classroom on campus. Sarah decides to investigate why no one is there and finds out that the class is video conference, so she heads to the library to get help from the IT department.

After a thorough investigation to determine which classroom the class is being held on in St. Thomas, the helpful IT technician connects Sarah with her class on St. Thomas.

When the connection goes through, she finds they have been conducting class without her for the last 30 minutes. She is the only student registered for the course on St. Croix while there are about 17 or 18 students on St. Thomas. A single person missing is easily overlooked.

Touchscreen display which controls video conference equipment.

Sarah goes through this tedious process of trying to connect with her professor and classmates on St. Thomas every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. She makes it a habit to contact IT before making her way to her class since she anticipates an endless list of issues with the equipment. She is at a total loss on how to operate the video conference equipment herself until six weeks into the semester, when an IT technician decides to show her how to operate the technology.

As an education major, Sarah has to have a certain amount of patience, but she confesses that after several days of dealing with lags, glitches, missing out on class time, and being overlooked, her patience was at an all-time low.

“It was horrible and disappointing to me. I was lost and really fed up with the course,” Sarah said. “I could not wait for it to be over.”

“I felt like the ugly duckling, and I was at a total disadvantage,” Sarah said. “It should not be that bad, but it is. The people on the other side just don’t understand our frustration.”

After such a horrible experience, Sarah developed an aversion to video conference classes, but she would soon realize that video conference and online classes are impossible to avoid at the University of the Virgin Islands, and in any case, it is a totally different experience when the professor is on St. Croix and the St. Croix students have the advantage.

Out of the roughly 330 classes currently being taught at UVI’s St. Croix campus – some of them repeated courses being taught by several professors or in different sections – 70 of them are video conference courses and 33 of them are online. Most of these courses are upper level courses and the professors are located on the St. Thomas campus. This means that about 31 percent of all classes being taught on the St. Croix campus are asynchronous upper level courses in which the student either never sees the professor or in which the professor is merely one of several faces on a screen.

Online and video conference courses do have their advantages because they allow students to have access to more classes and more professors than one campus provides. Online courses in particular can also be more convenient for commuter and non-traditional students who have busy lives and have a harder time making it to classes on a regular basis.

Despite the advantages, students and even some professors seem to prefer regular classes to online or video conference classes.

Dr. David Gould, an English professor, prefers teaching in the classroom to teaching online because in online classes there is “not enough face to face communication and online classes encourage plagiarism.”

The login page for the site used to connect to classes online.
(Photo credit – Arige Shrouf)

“I prefer regular classes in a single classroom in which I can interact with the professor and my classmates more effectively,” Corwin Commabatch, a junior majoring in business administration said. “But online classes represent a challenge that can be useful for when we graduate and we are on our own.”

According to Commabatch, online classes force students to be more responsible, to “learn to adjust and be professional” and they are more convenient because they allow him to work at his own pace.

Dr. Valerie Combie, a Master Professor of English, certified to teach online classes said, “I always prefer regular classes. I like the interaction and I can assist students more when they are present in real life.”

“In video conference classes, it is harder to engage with the students,” Dr. Gould said.

With about 88 percent of junior and senior level English courses, 85 percent of upper level communications courses, 58 percent of criminal justice courses, 50 percent of accounting courses and 35 percent of upper level psychology courses – just to name a few – currently being taught online or via video conference, UVI professors and students are no strangers to the varied class formats and most have their preferences.

Zohn Fleming, a sophomore speech communication and theater major said, “I like the video conference classes better because I get to hear a lot of different opinions from students on both or all three campuses. I wish more of my classes were video conference, but I don’t like online classes because I just keep forgetting to do the work.”

With asynchronous classes, it sometimes seems to be a case of “out of sight, out of mind.”

“The video conference class got to the point where I just did what I had to do and nothing more. I would sit in class and be on my phone or iPad the whole time because no one cared,” Sarah Jagrup said. “My interest was not there at all because there was a total disconnect and I was left out. I wished I had more access to my professor.”

“I can’t engage in an online class when the professor is on St. Thomas, but now that I am a senior, I just don’t care anymore,” Sarah said.

“I don’t think it’s fair for students on the remote campus,” Dr. Combie said.

Sophia Horsford, a junior majoring in criminal justice said, “the professors in St. Thomas are hard to get in contact with and if more of our classes were regular classes with just St. Croix, we would have no technical difficulties.”

I would prefer if more of my classes were regular/traditional classes because in class it’s more personal,” Olinger Augustin, a sophomore majoring in communications said. “You don’t have to yell over to the camera and you are more likely to be remembered.”

Shanah Bannis, a senior psychology major said, “I prefer regular classes for the interaction and online classes for the convenience, but in video conference courses is it not easy to engage both sides.”

Despite the challenges of asynchronous courses, they play a crucial role in our campus and, when the technology works and the students are kept engaged, these courses can be effective and provide the campus with a useful resource to connect with not only St. Thomas but St. John as well. Without video conference and online courses, there would be over 100 fewer classes at UVI and taking the necessary classes would be an even greater challenge for students trying to graduate in a timely manner.

Video conference classroom in the St. John Academic Center, allowing students to connect with the two main UVI campuses.
(photo credit: uvi.edu)

“I actually like VC classes,” Dr. Gillian Royes, a communications professor said. “It can be fun with small classes where the students on both campuses get to discuss issues together.”

“Providing video-conferencing and on-line courses provides a service to those who may not otherwise have the opportunity to matriculate,” Nancy W. Morgan, a professor of education, said. “With a motivated student, is not ‘something’ better than ‘nothing’?”

For students like Sarah Jagrup who have had horrible experiences with online or video conference classes, that motivation is hard to come by or maintain.

“At the end of the day,” Sarah said, “you just have to suck it up and get used to it because more and more of your classes are going to be online or video conference.”

Black History Month at HBCU: Is UVI living up to the hype?

(Published on http://uvivoice.net/2015/02/14/black-history-month-at-hbcu-is-uvi-living-up-to-the-hype/ on Feb. 14, 2015)

ARIGE SHROUF |

ST. CROIX— Black History Month at a Historically Black University should be a grand event, but many students feel the University of the Virgin Islands is not doing enough to acknowledge the importance of the tradition this year.

UVI students acknowledge the importance of Black History Month to them and to our community. Even when they are unaware of its origins, they understand the importance of upholding the tradition of the celebration.

Black History Month was initialized as “Negro History Week” in 1926 by Dr. Woodson and was expanded by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) to encompass an entire month in 1976.

In 1986, the observance of Black History Month was passed into law and has since been a symbol of the accomplishments of African Americans.

When interviewed, over twenty students admitted to feeling as though UVI could be doing more this February to really highlight the achievements of African Americans and embrace the spirit of Black History Month.

“It is a celebration of everything that was done to pave our way,” SGA President Sophia Johnson said. “It should really be celebrated more than just one month out of the year.”

“Black History Month means freedom. It is a way of saying ‘we matter, we are here,’ and of allowing our actions to show who we really are,” said Gabriel Lawrence, a senior member of Brothers with a Cause.

“I believe Black History is very important to our culture,” senior Jermaine Tavernier said. “We could find more creative ways to celebrate.”

“Black History Month is about recognizing all the great people that came before us,” sophomore Kennisha Grant said. “We are not really doing enough; UVI could do more.”

“I like to be wowed during Black History Month, and I am not being wowed,” junior Pamela Muhammad said.

These seem to be common feelings among the UVI community.

Judith Rogers, Director of Libraries at UVI, said Black History Month is “an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of blacks to the development of the world overall.”

“It is a time to reflect and let the past motivate you to move forward and stay away from negativity,” said Paulette Jarvis, a recent graduate of the nursing program.

“If we want to shine the blacks, we need to shine our history,” Gabriel Lawrence said. “We would not be where we are today without it and we need to improve our efforts.”

But is UVI coming up short in honoring and observing Black History Month, or are students simply too busy or unwilling to take part in the events that are taking place?

Paulette Jarvis said, “I never have time to participate on campus, so I don’t really know what’s going on.” She admits that she has heard of some events happening on campus, but she does not pay them much attention. She is simply too busy to participate.

This seems to be true of many students on campus.

According to Sophia Johnson, “the biggest challenge in planning any event on campus is actually getting them involved.”

In an effort to encourage UVI students to participate, the UVI libraries have had 34 African Arts Panels on display all month long.

Students can stop for a few minutes at a time and learn something about Black Heritage.

Many members of the UVI community have stopped to admire the exhibit.

African Arts Display at the library on the Albert A. Sheen campus.
(photo credit -Arige Shrouf)

Judith Rogers hopes students will “engage with the exhibit and learn from it.”

“Too many phenomenal contributions go unknown,” Rogers said. “It is for the students, but we can’t do it on our own; there needs to be collaboration for us to have a well-rounded curriculum.”

This month there were several activities on campus that highlighted the accomplishments of African Americans.

On Monday, Feb. 9, Student Government Association hosted an event outside student activities which highlighted the contributions of George Washington Carver.

SGA makes peanut punch outside student activities in honor of George Washington Carver.
(photo credit – Arige Shrouf)

According to SGA Vice-President Janelle Royer, the 30 person turnout met their expectations and she felt accomplished simply seeing the students enjoying a cup of peanut punch and dancing to the music played by the DJ.

But a 30 person turnout is rather big for UVI.

When SGA hosted its event in honor of Ben Carson on Tuesday, only ten students participated in the brain dissection at the RT Park.

Students watch as biology students, Nakeisha Prantice and Chenae Allen, dissect sheep brains.
(photo credit – Arige Shrouf)

The annual Man-Up event hosted on Wednesday was followed up by a tribute to the inventor of ice cream, Augustus Carver, on Thursday. Both events had much larger turnouts than other events this month.

This month Counseling and Career Services is also hosting a quote contest and several clubs and organizations have hosted movie viewings.

There will likely continue to be more small events throughout the month, but if students are not participating, will it ever be enough?

“We are doing as much as we can and as much as we think will be successful and have an audience,” Judith Rogers said.

Sophia Johnson said, “We are doing our best to create an interactive environment this month. We are trying to focus our efforts on stuff people will like and participate in.”

Gabriel Lawrence said he suggests we really take this time this month and use this opportunity to “show and shine the Blacks.”

We need make the most out of Black History Month this year and every year to come. This is an opportunity to make the university community acknowledge why it should be “proud to be an HBCU,” Lawrence said.

A Field All Our Own

(Published on http://www.uvivoice.net on Oct. 1)

UVI Soccer Fields: To play or not to play?

ARIGE SHROUF| Sept. 28                                                                                                  

ST. CROIX— The two soccer fields on the Albert A. Sheen are not being used after being called “unplayable,” which is putting a strain on the BUCCS soccer team.

After three years of planning and construction, the university is doing maintenance on the fields, such as cutting the grass and marking the field.

The fields should be available to the players by November, but no later than spring 2014.

The Virgin Islands Daily News published an article on Sept. 9 that called the UVI performance field “a field of dreams deferred.” It noted the condition of the field: the slope, the holes, the anthills and weeds. The field was “deemed unplayable” after a failed inspection from the Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria in August. Without the Liga Atlética’s approval, the field cannot be used for league matches.

“The biggest impact” of that decision has been a financial one, as the university tries to “address concerns brought up in the report,” said Nereida Washington, director of Campus Operations on the Albert A. Sheen Campus.

Travel to Puerto Rico for games can also get costly, but the decision impacts the students as well.

“Our students are the only ones in the league that have to travel for all of the games,” Washington said. “We have lost the home game advantage of being able to have fans and spectators who favor the UVI BUCCS on the sidelines.”

In addition to being at a disadvantage in terms of support, UVI students may also end up missing classes to attend games.

Some team members don’t mind all the traveling or having to miss classes. They view the constant traveling as an exciting experience.

“I like traveling to Puerto Rico for games,” Ismail Yusuf, a freshman member of the soccer team, said.

Without a soccer field on which to play some of the league matches at home, the soccer team has to travel to Puerto Rico for every game. Although some students view away games as a good thing, this constant travel could affect their performance in class since they will be missing so many classes and having to catch up.

 “The university is seeking to increase athletic and physical education opportunities for student athletes on St. Croix and the V.I.” Washington said. The soccer fields, one for practice and one for games, would provide those opportunities but they are not being used.

Washington said “Intramural and athletic programs are key to your experience in [college]” so the university is working to make the fields ready for use.

Despite the league’s decision, UVI officials consider the fields “playable.”

Washington said that “given the concerns that were raised, the field is not being used.” She said the fields would begin to be used by the BUCCS between November and December, but “definitely in the spring.”

According to Washington, the Liga Atlética’s inspection impacts the ability for the UVI BUCCS to play on the field” but not the university’s. Washington said the inspection “is not a requirement to play.”

“There is no required inspection done by a body in order to play. We will use the Athletic director’s, the soccer coach’s [and other individuals’] evaluation of the fields to make sure that [they are] maintained properly so that [they are] playable,” Washington said.

Despite UVI officials’ assurances that the field is “playable,” the university has been taking steps to improve the condition of the performance field.

The primary measure is a process called top-dressing in which the holes are filled in with a mixture of soil and sand. The process would have to be done either “annually or biannually,” Washington said.

Ronald Joseph marking performance field on Sept. 16; Photo credit- Arige Shrouf

The university marked the performance field and had the grass mowed on Sept. 16.

“Everything we are doing is part of a maintenance program,” Washington said, so there are “no extra costs.” The funds to “maintain a high performance field” come from the “grounds budget.”

Maintenance of the field involves processes such as reseeding, which is “recommended nine times a year,” Washington said.

It also involves mowing the grass “twice a week,” physical plant employee, Ephraim Rodriguez, said.

When asked to give his perception of the field, Rodriguez pointed out that “there are no benches and no bathrooms, so that could be inconvenient.”

According to Washington, the university is well aware of these concerns and is working on them. A bleacher was purchased last year, although it was not put out because it would get in the way of field improvements.

“The goal is to move in that direction where all these amenities will be available,” Washington said.

A Leader Among Peers

(Published on http://www.uvivoice.net on Sept. 16)

Kevin Dixon: A profile

ARIGE SHROUF|

ST. CROIX — Jack Welch once said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

SGA President Kevin Dixon

There are leaders of large nations and small organizations, but great leaders strive to help and inspire others; they “have a heart for outreach.” Student Government Association President Kevin Dixon has been described as one such leader.

Since being elected president last year, Dixon has made it his mission to “move the organization forward” in order to better serve the student body. Under his leadership, SGA has become an organization that junior Zoe Walker believes “could really make a difference.”

A senior majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing, Dixon is a very busy person. On his second year at UVI, he decided to “get involved” on campus and that has been one of his goals ever since.

In addition to serving his second-term as SGA president, Dixon also is a member of several other clubs, organizations and committees on campus. These include the UVI Senate, the Honorary Degree Committee, the Voices of Inspiration Choir and the St. Croix Presidential Advisory Committee. With so much on his plate, Dixon still manages to excel in his classes and is even the student ambassador for the Thurgood Marshal College Fund.

How does he do it? “Long nights and weekends” and learning to “balance and prioritize.”

“It’s stressful, but knowing the stress is worth it, makes it okay,” Dixon said. “When you have a purpose, it makes up for all the stress and when it’s over and you know you did things right and people enjoyed it, it’s all worth it.”

One word Dixon tries to live up to is “ambitious.”  He is motivated by “that sense of having an impact.”

Even at 16 he had taken on leadership positions in an effort “to help change lives.” He led walks in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in which his group exceeded the goal set for all groups. During his second year at UVI, Dixon joined SGA and became the public relations officer. He then became treasurer and worked his way up to president of the organization.

However, Dixon hasn’t always been the confident and charismatic young man you can see walking around campus greeting people with a smile. Before becoming a leader, Dixon faced his own struggles to “grow himself.”

When he moved to St. Croix from St. Kitts in 2003, Dixon  was “shy and quiet” and he “did not like speaking in front of audiences.” Today, he can be seen giving speeches and representing various organizations at events.

He credits the change in him, in part, to the “support of his family members,” and Ms. Washington, Ms. Finch and Ms. Elliot. However, the greatest influence in Dixon’s life has been his pastor, who acted as “a mentor and role model” to a young Kevin Dixon.

Without the influence of people such as his pastor,  Dixon believes he “would not be as involved on campus as he is. He also “would not have grown as much as he has in the past few years,” overcoming most of his shyness to become the public figure he is on campus today. For that influence, Dixon says, he is “really grateful.”

Just as others have inspired and influenced his life,  Dixon hopes to use his leadership skills to “inspire others” and “touch other people’s lives.”

As John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

For Dixon, “It is always a pleasure serving.” He advises students to “get involved” and “set themselves apart from other students by showing they are well rounded.”

Sophomore Felicia Emmanuel describes Dixon as “Not only a strong leader but also a visionary.”

“Using fresh ideas such as the SWAGG (Students with a Greater Goal) movement, he not only improved the appeal of SGA, but also how SGA stays current with the student body,” Emmanuel said.

Because of Dixon’s dedication and effectiveness as a leader, several family members and individuals have been encouraging  Dixon to run for government office. It makes sense, they argue, “since he has been setting himself up to do so.”

“It’s definitely something to think about,”  Dixon says, but right now, he is focused on his last year at UVI and intends to “go out with a bang.”

A Day We Remember

(Published on http://www.uvivoice.net on Sept. 11)

9/11 Where were you?

 

On this day in 2001, an event occurred that forever left a mark on this nation. In memory of that tragic day, we have asked several members of the UVI community to share their memories of that day.

American Flag raised high At the Univeristy of the Virgin Islands
Arige Shrouf

“I was in third grade when it happened. I didn’t know what was going on or why my teachers seemed so sad. I saw adults crying; we didn’t really have classes that day, but I could not figure out the reason. When I got home, my mom told me what had happened. I remember feeling shocked and helpless. So many people were dying that day and it seemed like there was nothing anyone could really do to stop. Although I was only a child at the time, I knew when I saw the footage of the towers falling that nothing would ever be the same again.” – Arige Shrouf, 20, English major; Managing Editor of the UVI Voice

“In class, we had to stand in a moment of silence; I was so confused. I saw it [the towers falling] on the news. All I remember is that it was tragic.” – Shakirah Ritter, 20; criminal justice major

“I was 12 at the time it happened. I remember being at school, in homeroom; the teacher seemed distraught. I didn’t know what happened. When I went home and saw the images of the plane hitting the tower, I was a little bit scared because I didn’t know what was going to happen afterward.” – Joey Emmanuel, 24; UVI writing center tutor

“The day of… I don’t really know what happened. I didn’t hear anything about it the day of, I was only a kid. But the next day, around 10 am, our teacher stopped the class to ask if we knew about what happened. She asked us to take a minute of silence for everyone that had died. Afterwards, we just continued our day. We acknowledged what happened, but did not dwell on it. We continued class as if nothing ever happened. Probably because she thought we were too young to understand.” – Sarah J., 20; secondary education major

thelifeofanthony.blogspot.com

“I don’t remember the exact grade but I was in class when it all happened. Though I didn’t quite understand exactly what was taking place it was very scary and it made me really sad.” – Je’Ronn Simmonds, 19, Music Education

“When I was told about the tragedy I didn’t feel anyway but when I saw the damage on the television it was a scared for a moment.” – To’Quoya George, 20, Marine Biology

“I was in 5th grade at the St. Croix Christian Academy and it made me feel like the world is no longer a safe place.” – Jamall Marsh, 21, Computer Science

“I was lost. I was so young. I didn’t even know what the twin towers were but when I became fully aware of the situation I became very scared because I thought more attacks were going to happen throughout the United States. – Kalique Raymo, 20, Computer Science

“I was only in 2nd grade so I wasn’t really affected by this situation.” – Kimani Jett, 18, Accounting

“I was in 5th grade and I was already sad because this is the day my father died. It made me even more depressed to see that so many more people were dying on this day. I felt as if the day was cursed. So many people were crying it was scary.” – Shari Chryss Alfred, 21, Communications

“During 9/11 I was in the 4th or 5th grade staying at a friends house for about a week. My mother was in Atlanta for work and was delayed because planes everywhere were grounded. I didn’t find out the planes crashed till they called me to the office during class to tell me my mother was on the phone I was terrified to pick it up. My grandmother lived in Manhattan a few blocks away from the towers and I was scared she was calling to say someone had died. She had called to tell me everyone was ok, but that she wouldn’t be able to get home until flights were back up and running. It took her a month to get home.” – Zenobia Howe, 23, Communications

“It’s interesting to see how the students perceive the 9/11 attacks, they were only children when we were attacked, and they have a unique perspective. They grew up in a different world than we did and it’s important to see the distinction. I was in college at the time. I went to Borough of Manhattan Community College, only a few blocks from the Trade Center, the towers provided shade over my school. My job was located just below the trade center. I lost so much that day, my school became an emergency command center and I lost my job. From my neighborhood in Sunset Park, Brooklyn I watched the smoke rise from the fallen towers, I breathed in the debris that lingered for more than a month. It took me a lot longer to recover physically and emotionally. But I was one of the lucky ones, my trauma pales in comparison to some of my friends.” – Stephanie Hanlon-Nugent, part time journalism instructor and advisor to the UVI Voice