BOISE, Idaho — The times are uncertain, and information is continuously changing. For some, it’s an unsettling time, especially for college students coming to grips with their “new normal.”
Boise State Engineering professor, Krishna Pakala is one of many professors who transitioned his class to online learning; abruptly. Pakala around this time had seen a viral video of a professor singing a song about surviving online learning to the tune, "I will survive". In light of the transitions his students were experiencing, Pakala created an assignment for his 45 students.
The “assignment” required students to break up into small groups, re-work lyrics to “I will survive” to explain their situation and perform it in front of the class. Two students stepped up to the plate, performed the song live, and earned extra credit. The video is now on Youtube.
The project, though, was more than just a fun activity, according to Pakala, “I think this became an innovative opportunity during this disruption to say maybe we should be looking at this differently; maybe we need to educate people differently.”
Sierra Sandison is a non-traditional student. She says, “we’re so stressed about learning and everything else going on in our lives-it’s been great having professors like Dr. Pakala working with us and understand we’re going through something really difficult as well.”
Brooke-Lynn Andrade, the vocalist in the video, is a Junior at Boise State. When asked if she was worried this shift in learning could affect graduation, she says, “the University has made it clear they’re doing their best to make sure nobody’s thrown off their trajectory.”
Pakala hopes that this transition will help others realize that learning doesn’t have to take place in a classroom to be effective, adding, “our classrooms are no longer shielded with walls.”
