Hunter Epperson ~ Staff Writer
Students and faculty of the University of Lynchburg have had to adapt to online learning due to Covid-19, but there are still some professors who refuse to utilize Moodle, the university’s course management system, and I argue that this should change.
Online course management systems are becoming ubiquitous technologies at institutions of higher education and learning, and they are known to be effective.
Professors are supposed to be lifelong learners and scholars in the academic field, meaning they are supposed to be constantly learning and enhancing their knowledge to help students succeed both in and out of the classroom.
There have been a few encounters with professors from students where they have experienced the professor refusing to learn or even try to use Moodle or some other form of a course management system such as Google Classroom. Some professors even have a Moodle page but refuse to update it. What does this message send to students?
Furthermore, when a professor is refusing to adapt to change or refusing to learn new material or sources that could help students succeed inside the classroom, how does that resonate with students?
The purpose of these platforms is to help students be successful. This is done by allowing students to have access materials and information for the class, such as readings or their grades. When a student is denied the opportunity to have the ability to experience these resources, students are the ones being impacted and are being left in the dark.
Professors may not wish to use Moodle because they have to go through the hassle of learning how it works. However, students have to undertake this learning curve when they start classes at the University of Lynchburg. It is not fair that students are required to about this website while professors are not.
When COVID-19 struck, professors learned how to use Google Meet. This was done so that students could continue having a positive college experience. If professors can adapt to Google Meet for the sake of their students, they can also adapt to Moodle for the same reason.
Since my time here at the University of Lynchburg, I have been fortunate enough to have almost all of my professors create, manage, and update their Moodle or Google Classroom pages regularly with new learning content, grades, or other resources. I know there are many students who have not been as fortunate as me.
Because of this, I think it is time to hold all professors accountable, and have them placed on the same field to help their students succeed in college and beyond.
