What Is Online Learning Really Like?

“When we switched over to online courses in April, it was odd not being at school,” recalls Isenberg senior Maggie Mulligan ’21. “It was easy to fall into a summer mindset,” confesses the hospitality and tourism management (HTM) major. “But the learning curve was fast and our professors—Keri Bonowitz (accounting) and Erin Tierney (HTM)—knew how to engage us.” Like most Isenberg professors, both had considerable online teaching experience. “They kept the same time schedules, TAs, and office hours as before. And their lectures and class presentations were pretty much the same. The transition to online proved pretty seamless,” Mulligan says.

At her home in Beverly, the student set up a makeshift office in her bedroom. “I also continued meeting (virtually) with the informal study group that I was in before we went online,” she says. Mulligan supplemented her HTM class in entertainment management by streaming online alumni panels organized by her department and the UMass Alumni Association. The panels, she says, were innovative and added value to her coursework and understanding of the hospitality industry.

“My advice to new students,” she adds, “is to trust the technology, stick to the schedule, find a study group, and give it your all.”