The novel coronavirus, as it continues to expand, has changed our world at a devastating speed causing chaos and panic along its way. The health emergency has taken the world by storm and nations around the world have declared a total lockdown to mitigate the risks of the deadly pandemic. Needless to say, it has rattled every aspect of our lives and there have numerous implications as a result of this lockdown. Most important of these transitions is the massive lifestyle change that it has bought about, especially the restrictions on all our preferences- including the way we work and attend online classes.

“Work from Home” or “WFH” is the new buzz word. Almost all organisations and institutes have directed their members to adapt to these new ways of working. Prior to the sad turn of events, WFH was not common for Indians as much as it was for the people in the west. Today, for the first time, thousands and thousands of employees and students are working and attending classes from the comforts of their homes, and the School of Communications and Reputation (SCoRe) in no exception.

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Starting from the 16th of March, the students of the PR school have been attending online classes. Well, learning never stops, does it? All assignments and class work too have been pushed online. For us, Zoom and Google Meet are our new friends. The faculty is trying their best to keep the sessions engaging. A few of the faculty members also took the effort to plan fun activities for the students during these online classes. Besides, many teachers have also added visuals and sounds to their lectures which have helped students to grasp as much as they can. The classes have been
interactive, and the students have been able to adapt well to these changes.

But there is only so much you can learn online, and everything has its pros and cons. For me, it has been quite a journey trying to divide my class timings and personal time. Added to this are constant distractions at home and my constant race against deadlines. For a majority of student who have returned to their hometowns, internet connectivity is a daily challenge. Group assignments have been challenging too. Most important, I believe body language is very important in a presentation, and without it, the classes can turn monotonous. Hence, for an online class to be truly effective, it is important that they are classes are not very long and are engaging as well. It is also important for both the parties- the students and the teacher- to make equal efforts to make this work.

In these times of chaos, I have tried to stick to one philosophy: You are not working from home, you are at your home during a crisis trying to work. I personally have mixed reactions to this experiment. I have embraced this experiment and can vouch for improved productivity at my end. Although online classes aren’t as effective as classroom learning, it is not bad, and so far, it has been a good experience.

-Dikshita Kaushik

Dikshita Kaushik is a part of the Class of 2020 of PG Programme in PR and Corporate Communications at SCoRe, Mumbai. She completed her winter internship with GolinOpinion, Mumbai.

Hailing from from Golaghat, Assam the idea of communication has always intrigued her. After her education in International Studies, she chose to pursue Public Relations. She is a team player and an active learner.

She can be reached at @Dikshita__ on Twitter and as Dikshita Kaiushik on LinkedIn

This blog post originally appeared on Dikshita’s Blog Page