Semester reflection

Though this semester there were numerous changes in the classroom settings. Although it felt a bit awkward and disappointing that we could not meet each other for a long period, I also felt that the online classes lead to new learning and experiences as well. For instance, it was the first time I used and got accustomed to Microsoft teams, as well as online meetings as a whole. In addition, I realized the benefits as well as the negative points of such meetings. Comparing to the normal classes, I felt it easy to relax during online classes. We could sit anywhere and do anything as long as we correctly and sufficiently join and hear the classes. Being able to create a relaxable environment individually led to further motivations.

However, I also felt the negative points such as how the meetings can be unstable from time to time due to internet problems. In addition, since joining the classes does not require as much time comparing to school, there were times were I joined within seconds after waking up in the morning. In such cases, it was difficult to concentrate as well as during school. Overall, such experiences both positive and negative led to learning a lot about online class systems. Although we used the system only during the pandemic, I hear that many companies use the system daily for job meetings, especialy when it's a big company. Therefore, I also thought that learning about these systems could lead to good preparation for the future.

After the online classes, we returned to school in a half-half system. Although it was great to be able to meet our classmates, it felt unusual to take classes in such a small group. In addition, it was time to time difficult to keep up and remember the previous class contents since we had a week gap in between. However, there were also positive points; I felt it easier to concentrate during class as an individual since we were not allowed to converse. In addition, I was half grateful for being able to rest a day between school days. Although this also meant that the class progress had to slow down, it was much more unstressful comparing to normal school weeks. In addition, I also thought that the quality of concentration increased since we had the proper time to rest and recover for the next day. Overall, although half and half classes were a bit disappointing from the perspective of not being able to interact with each other, I mainly enjoyed and preferred the system as well.

Returning to normal classes was a bit rattling at the start. Although we were finally able to meet each other, we were still not allowed to interact (have conversations) properly. In addition, I noticed many students and well as my own classmates a bit tired after the sudden resumptions of the normal schedule.

However, I also felt a bit relieved that the class progress returned back to normal. In addition, the contents we were able to learn and do during classes increased as well. Being able to study a sufficient amount every day led to definite confidence. In addition, we were able to return to normal class styles after a short while. Being able to ask our friends about the contents we had difficulty really helped to progress well and smoothly through classes. Especialy, since the contents of the classes shifted to writing academic book reviews and creating presentation slides, the advice from our classmates also led to revising and improving the quality of such assignments. Overall, although the pandemic led to a lot of system changes, I think that the experiences we had during the situation were rather valuable. I do hope that the situation will improve in the future, but I also have the confidence to accelerate enough in learning even if it returns back to online and separate classes.