Over the past few months, we have witnessed an interesting transformation across the world. And this pretty unexpected change has affected education too. One day, we were all at school presenting our papers in class, and the next day the gates of the university closed. Unsure of what was going to happen, we were all waiting at home for the next step. What is it like to not be able to see your classmates and professors? How does the online education work? Let’s see what will be new normal for the foreseeable future.

How was the switch to online education introduced?

Obviously, nobody was ready for the kind of situation this global crisis brought about. As the number of new cases of COVID-19 were rising in the Netherlands and worldwide, the University of Groningen had to act. In order to stick to the requirements imposed by the Dutch government and due to the limited space for big numbers of students, the University decided to transfer all face-to-face education activities to an online environment. The transfer basically happened over night and us students received all information through e-mail as well as the Student Portal. Information about the coronavirus situation and University policy is regularly updated and whenever you have any additional questions, you could always write to or call the Study Advisors at the International Office.

Which mediums are used for online education?

The Faculty of Law decided to not use commonly available web platforms (such as Zoom) for teaching their online lectures, but instead introduced a more secure medium – Blackboard Collaborate. The system is very user friendly and works without any difficulties. The decision on exams, however, was scarier for students. It also took the Faculty Board some time until they made a decision on the forms of examination. In the end, the board decided that the exams would be handled online through the Student Portal.

How does the study experience change with online education?

Adapting to a new system of learning is very individual. If you’re worried about the material for courses, such as books or readers, most of it is either available online, or you can order them. For me, personally, having online lectures (instead of in-person) was much better due to the fact that they were recorded, and you could go back to them whenever you needed to clarify points from presentations. Also, it gives you more time to absorb and analyse all the important information you need. With regard to exams, there were some bigger changes compared to lectures. One of the most radical changes was the fact that the timing of exam duration was reduced from the original 3 hours to 2 hours. What’s more, they were now open book exams. Even though it may seem easier to have your text books next to you while taking an exam, the opposite is true. Due to the limited amount of time, you need to have very good time management during an exam. Further, an open book exam doesn’t mean that you don’t have to study at all. In fact, the content of the exam is more demanding in order to ensure you really know how to apply the knowledge of the lessons and are not just simply copying material from the book(s). Of course, the style of your studying should adapt to this situation, too. Simple memorising of facts will not really help you. Therefore, it is really important that you understand the content of what you’re learning and how to apply it in practice. If you’re having difficulties with such during the course, you can always send your professors an e-mail with questions.

The Faculty of Law decided that it will stick to online education for at least the first semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. This makes it possible for you (new students) to study from abroad and stay safely at home. However, that may not always be preferable as sometimes it’s hard to find a quiet place at home for yourself to study and learn. Nevertheless, I’d recommend creating a system and some kind of routine to guide your study habits. Find out when during the day it’s better for you to study and when it’s time to relax. Also, a small tip – try to switch between activities in order to stay fully focused. No matter how odd the situation can be studying from home, make the most out of it. Spend more time with your family and friends, divide your time reasonably, and let’s all hope we will be able to get back to ‘normal’ soon.

- Sara Turkova, Slovakia, International and European Law LLB student