By: Sophia Keller, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, sxk1036@psu.edu

During the spring semester of 2020, the mandatory shift from in-person to remote learning left students and faculty of Penn State Brandywine uncertain of what to expect this coming Fall semester. With COVID-19 continuing to plague countries across the globe, and many states reluctant to reopen cities, universities are left to decide how to schedule the upcoming semester with decisions based on a disease we know little about.

Penn State’s President Eric Barron, along with fellow University leaders, have held virtual Town Hall events to address the changes and system implementation for the school year. Additionally, Penn State has created a site “Keeplearning.psu.edu” to help address questions and concerns regarding this fall semester.

Despite the measures taken to solidify plans for the semester, students and faculty still appear to have doubts about Penn State’s strategy.

According to the site, Penn State has outlined four instructional modes for students and teachers to choose from depending on their learning/teaching preferences and schedules. This link provides details and more. In summary:

• In-Person – Students and faculty would attend class as normal, following the requirements put in place by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, until November 20^th– all instruction then changes to remote. Expectations are high for compliance by faculty and students with regard to social distancing and masking.
• Mixed-Mode – Students and faculty have three options with mixed-mode learning
  • Half the class would attend in-person, the other half would attend remotely
  • Students would attend lectures remotely, and in small groups attend in-person study sessions
  • Students would attend lectures remotely, and in small groups attend lab and study sessions
• Remote Synchronous – Students and faculty would attend class remotely, with scheduled class times and assigned deadlines for assignments (similar to the Spring semester).
• Remote Asynchronous – Students and faculty would attend class remotely, with flexibility on class times and deadlines.

One of the people we spoke to about the Penn State’s instructional modes was Pat Hillen, Associate Teaching Professor of English. Regarding her preference for instruction, she said, “I believe that CM – Mixed-Mode allows for the most flexibility. . . Lots of faculty members are interested in getting to know their students face-to-face, so they are picking CM as it gives them that option.”

When asked the effects Penn State’s Fall 2020 plans have had on her class scheduling, Professor Hillen mentions that she was supposed to accompany students on the Penn State 2020 global trip to Vienna, which was canceled due to COVID-19. With a team of two other professors, she will be teaching a course called GLIS 101N this coming semester remote synchronously.

“The students and the professors were disappointed. . . GLIS 101N will enable us to teach globalization theory, introduce our embedded programs plans for the future, and get students excited about acquiring a Global and International Studies minor with whatever major they’re pursuing.”

We also spoke with Vincent Nicosia, a psychology major, about his thoughts regarding the return to school this Fall.

“I would feel safe as long as people would follow guidelines from the university. But, I would feel safer if the university would provide masks for students who forget theirs, along with the other necessities they will already provide.” NOTE: Penn State already plans to have extra PPE and sanitation materials for every classroom.

When asked which mode of learning Nicosia preferred, he said, “I think my ability to learn and retain knowledge has a lot to do with my willingness to learn. . . I am not entirely against mixed-mode learning. I also think on-campus resources benefit the student body and are less suited for virtual meeting spaces like Zoom.”

Penn State’s plan to switch all classes to remote learning November 30^th could be detrimental to students’ grades, similar to the spring semester. Nicosia believes that given last semester’s transition, he might be better prepared for the transition. “However, I think there is a possibility for there to be a dip in my academic ability.”

As Penn State follows the Commonwealth guidelines, it’s important to understand how their actions will be influenced by the “Pennsylvania Reopening and Recovery Plan”. Outlined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, schools reopening will be solely based on the color designation signal each county maintains at the start of the semester.

• Red: “During the red phase, there is no provision for in-person instruction at postsecondary institutions in PA, with the exception of certain medical, nursing, and allied clinical health training programs.”
• Yellow: “. . . before resuming in-person instruction, operations, services, and activities, institutions must plan and implement strategies to support healthy, safe, and inclusive learning environments. . .”
• Green: “Institutions may more fully resume in-person instruction. . . Restrict large, non-instructional gatherings to no more than 250 people.”

Our Department of Education also notes that there is a strong possibility counties will shift back and forth through the phases. Penn State’s fall semester plans are currently operating off of the yellow designation signal guidelines, but if the county’s cases increase, plans will likely evolve.

While the upcoming semester may seem overwhelming to students and faculty, know that we are not alone. Together, we can work to uphold the safety precautions implemented by Penn State and the Commonwealth to keep ourselves and school a secure environment for education. For more information on Pennsylvania’s reopening plans or Penn State’s fall semester system, check out the Department of Education’s website and Penn State Brandywine’s website where they’ve provided a brief outline for our students.