Adrian Guerra is cleaning his apartment before heading in for his 3 to 10 p.m. shift as a customer service rep at Publix. During his first two years as an integrated business major at UCF, Guerra would do his best to squeeze 10 hours of work between classes and studies each week. Since spring break, though, he 麻豆精品 S檚 been clocking 30 hours per week. He also started an internship with UCF Athletics, serves as a committee chair for the student ambassador program in the College of Business, and is heavily involved in student government.
Enrollment at UCF in the offbeat summer of 2020 is up over the routine summer of 2019. There are 6.6 percent more students taking 11.4 percent more credit hours than a year ago.
Oh, and there 麻豆精品 S檚 this: 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 taking more credit hours than usual this summer. 麻豆精品 S�
From her home in Kissimmee, Sabah Qureshi accepts a call on a Tuesday morning. Qureshi, a biomedical sciences major, has become remarkably productive from this very spot.
麻豆精品 S淚 just finished a Zoom meeting 麻豆精品 S� or class, 麻豆精品 S� says the pre-med student. Qureshi 麻豆精品 S檚 instructor, after polling students at the beginning of the term, decided to set aside three hours to meet with them virtually six days a week. Qureshi is in as many of those as possible.
Like Guerra, she 麻豆精品 S檚 taking a bigger load of summer credit hours 麻豆精品 S� a total of 12 between Summer A and Summer B terms 麻豆精品 S� than normal. The Organic Chemistry II class from which she 麻豆精品 S檚 just logged out? It 麻豆精品 S檚 being offered as a summer class for the first time ever.
Qureshi and Guerra are part of a rising trend that 麻豆精品 S檚 also raising eyebrows: Enrollment at UCF in the offbeat summer of 2020 is up over the routine summer of 2019. There are 6.6 percent more students taking 11.4 percent more credit hours than a year ago. The increase spawns from a convergence of factors, including, of all things, the campus going quiet for the past three months.
麻豆精品 S淲hen we abruptly had to transition to remote instruction in mid-March, we were heading into uncharted waters. One concern that was top of mind was future enrollment, 麻豆精品 S� says Theodorea Regina Berry, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 vice provost of Student Learning and Academic Success and dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies. 麻豆精品 S淲e learned that the UCF community is resilient. We banded together to create an environment focused on student success. Our approach worked; enrollment for Summer 2020 is up. 麻豆精品 S�
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Guerra envisions himself being a human resources specialist for a resort in Florida sometime in the year 2022. You could say he 麻豆精品 S檚 wired for details. On March 10, hours after ending his shift at Publix, he was using online to update his academic route toward 麻豆精品 S渟ometime in the year 2022 麻豆精品 S� when he received a text from a friend. Then another. 麻豆精品 S淒id you hear? UCF is closing campus. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淢y first thought was, 麻豆精品 S極h no. This will set my plans back 麻豆精品 S� maybe way 产补肠办. 麻豆精品 S欌赌�
Qureshi heard the news while working in the office she uses as a teacher 麻豆精品 S檚 assistant in the biology department. 麻豆精品 S淚 figured the closure will be just a week, right? So I left a lot of my belongings in my cubicle. 麻豆精品 S�
Those belongings are still there.
Berry was barely two months into her new position at UCF. 聽During initial meetings with stakeholders across UCF, a topic of conversation was how to transform education by 麻豆精品 S渟upporting initiatives to take learning outside the classroom. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淲e learned that the UCF community is resilient. We banded together to create an environment focused on student success. Our approach worked; enrollment for Summer 2020 is up. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S� Theodorea Regina Berry
Reminded of this in early June while the classrooms remain empty, she laughs easily and says, 麻豆精品 S淭his is not what I had in mind. 麻豆精品 S�
During the early days of responding to COVID-19, Berry dealt with the urgent tasks of getting students who were studying abroad home and determining how undergraduates would continue internships and co-ops.
麻豆精品 S淲e realized that we were changing students 麻豆精品 S� learning plans and began to contemplate what that would mean for future enrollment, 麻豆精品 S� says Berry. 麻豆精品 S淲e asked ourselves, 麻豆精品 S榃ould students return to UCF or transition to colleges closer to home? 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�
Normally, Admissions, Enrollment Services, Institutional Knowledge Management, and the Registrar 麻豆精品 S檚 Office can predict shifts in advance. 麻豆精品 S淚n the midst of the pandemic, predicting was difficult, 麻豆精品 S� Berry says.
UCF was ahead of the curve. It has more than 20 years of experience providing online courses. The university also made sure that students and faculty felt heard and supported.
Through conversations, common messages arose: Make classwork more flexible. Use simulcasts, webcams and livestreams. Make lessons available on dedicated YouTube channels. And, while you 麻豆精品 S檙e at it, why not offer more summer classes?
麻豆精品 S淓verything has led to creating more platforms for learning, so we are able to raise the bar to yet another level, 麻豆精品 S� says Berry. 麻豆精品 S淭hat does not mean we 麻豆精品 S檒l stop doing what works for certain students. Some of them need the interaction in person. We happen to be working right now on ways to meet the needs of all students. We 麻豆精品 S檙e learning a lot and making adjustments to teaching and learning, and if we 麻豆精品 S檙e creating a better student experience, they 麻豆精品 S檒l be permanent. 麻豆精品 S�
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Three months after wondering how deep into the 2020s he might be finishing his required classes, Guerra has a very different outlook: 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 actually ahead of schedule. 麻豆精品 S� Until this summer, two of his classes weren 麻豆精品 S檛 available online: Quantitative Business Tools II and Accounting for Decision Makers. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 working more hours. I don 麻豆精品 S檛 have to worry about rent. And I have more control of my time and my own path. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淚t can be challenging, but I have to look at it this way: By taking more classes now, I 麻豆精品 S檒l have more time to focus on my internships and volunteer work after things open back up. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S� Sabah Qureshi
Qureshi is also using the availability of summer classes to expedite her track to medical school 麻豆精品 S� and, eventually, to opening her own family clinic.
麻豆精品 S淚t can be challenging, 麻豆精品 S� she says, 麻豆精品 S渂ut I have to look at it this way: By taking more classes now, I 麻豆精品 S檒l have more time to focus on my internships and volunteer work after things open back up. 麻豆精品 S�
The progressive actions taken as a result of conversations point to the factor that provides momentum in the flexibility-plus-availability equation. Berry noticed it when she came to visit UCF during a house-hunting trip in November 2019.
麻豆精品 S淚 was struck by the relationships between the colleges and divisions and the dedication to student success, 麻豆精品 S� Berry says.
When one instructor initially struggled to set up her remote lessons, Qureshi helped the instructor figure it out. Guerra 麻豆精品 S檚 professors, knowing he relies on his own electronic notes, are providing pdfs so he can mark them up and fully comprehend the material.
Enrollment is up. In the days after March 10, who would have thought?
麻豆精品 S淚n hindsight, I think about the devotion of these students to UCF and vice versa, 麻豆精品 S� says Berry. 麻豆精品 S淎nd it 麻豆精品 S檚 clear to me that no one wants to give that up. Perhaps we never should have doubted. 麻豆精品 S�
