UMD students achieve academic success during distance learning
Lecture halls sit empty most of the time on UMD campus due to distance learning and capacity regulations. Photo by Madison Hunter
Due to COVID-19, most colleges have either gone completely online or are using a hybrid system, and this has led a lot of students to worry about their academic success. However, for some students at the University of Minnesota Duluth, distance learning has not been a roadblock to their educational goals, but has helped increase their grades.
UMD currently serves 10,275 students and, according to the UMD Eight Years Enrollment Trends Dashboard, 36% of those students are seniors, 23% are juniors, 21% are sophomores and 20% are freshmen.
Among those students is Bryce Walters, a senior and biochemistry major.
“Surprisingly, I have better grades right now than I did this time last fall and honestly it is because of my professors,” Walters said.
According to the UMD Office of Registrar, the average GPA of students who have been admitted in fall 2020 is 3.282 — a 0.072 increase from last year.
“Students are achieving,” Associate Professor of Rhetoric at UMD, David Beard, said. “I'm not surprised. UMD students are capable.”
This hallway, usually bustling with students, is now barren most of the day. Photo by Madison Hunter
Nick Anderson, sophomore and English major, was apprehensive before the fall semester began, since he said last spring didn’t go so well, but gives credit to his professors for making this semester better.
“I was thinking about taking some semesters off until in-person classes started again, but I decided to give one more semester a shot,” Anderson said. “Somehow I am doing really good in my classes and have some of the best grades I have ever had. I have more time to study and I also email a lot with my professors since I don’t see them in person.”
Along with having supportive professors, UMD students have also reported an increased use of campus resources to better their grades during distance learning.
“I have used a lot of the campus help, like the Tutoring Center to keep my grades up,” Walters said. “Since I am a biochemistry major, I need all the resources I can get to help me stay on top of my course work.”
The UMD campus offers academic success resources such as the Bulldog Resource Center, the Tutoring Center, Supportive Services Program, Kathryn A. Martin Library librarians and the Writer’s Workshop. All of these resources are still available for online person-to-person sessions during the 2020-2021 school year.
Since fall midterms just passed, UMD students, including Walters and Anderson, hope for a strong end to the term.
“I think this will be my best semester yet,” Walters said. “Now I just have to finish all my homework.”
For more information about the UMD campus resources visit the Academic Writing and Learning Center website.