Only a few weeks ago we were joking about COVID-19, but now the virus is affecting the daily lives of billions of people around the world.
For about two weeks now, home office has been the order of the day. Or in our case, it’s home studying. Within a few days, our entire curriculum of Journalism and Public Relations (BA) was switched to online teaching. Now organisational skills and discipline are put to the test. Since not only the universities are closed, but also most of the leisure activities are eliminated, everything is now happening in one room, and it has become more difficult to switch between study/work and leisure.
While some people are stockpiling food and toilet paper for bad times, we, students of Journalism and Public Relations, are scheduling the activities of our day: from regularly checking our mails to setting up a new timetable. Courses where our physical presence in the room is not absolutely necessary are now done online. Some tasks are adapted to the current situation.
The wonder of technology
Of course, nobody wants a crisis. Neither here nor in other parts of the world and certainly not crises that affect the whole world. But we can be happy that we live in a time where online teaching is possible at all. Imagine what it would have been like a few hundred years ago. Today, at least, there is no complete standstill. Sure, many activities are currently not possible at all or only to a limited extent. So it is all the better that at least education can continue and some work can be done via home office.
It gets more complicated with the practical work. As prospective journalists it is now more difficult for us to get stories. Creating content is also proving more difficult. Now it is time to be creative. Trying out new formats and exploiting the possibilities of the internet. And people are creative. Especially in the art scene, I get that very strongly how new things are tried out and it works. But, of course, there is a lack of fellow students and social contact in general, outside the Internet.
It is all the better that at least education can continue and some work can be done via home office.
Can we learn anything from this?
Every crisis helps us to develop and learn new things. Maybe after Corona we will deal differently with another global crisis: Climate change. We are already receiving news that the air has improved in some countries and that the flora and fauna are beginning to recover. Of course, none of this will have any effect if we continue to operate normally after COVID-19 as before.
Also in the matter of "online teaching" we could take something with us into the future. For commuters like me, it is currently a blessing not to have to get up at 5am, swallow the coffee in one go and sit half-awake in the lecture hall at 8am. Working late into the night is also reduced because I don't get home late anymore.
Nico Lang is a student of Journalism and Public Relations (BA)