Many students are seeing unexpected positives in the current switch to Remote Learning made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of them is Fatemeh Hamidavi, from Iran, who is studying for a Diploma of Science at UTS Insearch. She particularly appreciates the extra time she’s gained as a result of the change.
If you work, or live far away from the UTS Insearch campus, Remote Learning helps you save time for study. You can put all that travelling time to better use,” she says. “I used to have to travel a lot and I would get really tired."
Connecting with people in a different way.
Fatemeh has found the experience has changed her outlook in surprising ways and helped her approach many things differently. “It helps you to be more independent,” she says. “You become more mature about what you’re doing, and it helps you connect with people in a different way. What it means for me, personally, is that I get more time with peers who give me feedback about my work. There’s a lot of help from your classmates throughout the class. The teachers help you in different ways too, with video calls, or emails, or even individual classes during their subject consultations."
New skills, new tools, new applications.
Under Remote Learning,” Fatemeh says, “I’ve been learning lots of new skills with new tools and applications, and they’re all experiences I’ll be able to use in my future career.” She’s especially enthusiastic about Canvas, one of the learning apps used by UTS Insearch. “When you log into Canvas, everything is structured so you can follow it step-by-step. The teachers clear everything up for you whenever you need help, but it’s all structured clearly from Week 1, Week 2, right till the end of your semester."
Of course, there’s more to life than study and Fatemeh has found other ways to make the most of having more time at home. She says, “I’ve been cooking more, and cleaning the house, and there’s been time to watch series and catch up with movies."