After two years with COVID-19 protocols, students on campus share mixed emotions about the future of in-person, remote and hybrid learning options.

Two years ago, DePaul closed its campuses.

University spaces later implemented masking and social-distancing guidelines and required proof of vaccination status — all the while email updates flooded the inboxes of students, staff and faculty.

DePaul’s classrooms, residence halls and workplaces adapted COVID-19 protocols that changed every month.

Today — on the second anniversary of the World Health Organization officially declaring COVID-19 a pandemic — navigating on-campus life can be complex, particularly when it comes to registering for classes.

In March 2020, DePaul courses went fully remote and then transitioned to in-person classes last quarter, including several hybrid combinations in between. This quarter a majority of classes are offered in person.

With Spring Quarter approaching, students reflected on their winter classes and the future of remote and in-person learning ahead.

Winter Quarter Transition 

On December 3, university administration first informed students, staff and faculty that the first two weeks of Winter Quarter would begin online.

Isabella Dudas, a freshman film major at DePaul, said her classes were scheduled to be in person after the two-week remote start to the quarter. However, one of them temporarily switched to Zoom at the end of January.

Her class was held remotely longer than the first two weeks of Winter Quarter because her professor was in close contact with COVID-19. However, she didn’t mention any complaints and said her class has been able to pivot “pretty well overall.” 

Under the Department of Academic Affairs, course modality — or the option to hold classes remotely, in person or any combination of the two — is decided by college and program chairs. Typically, course modality cannot be changed after the beginning of the quarter, although exceptions have been made particularly for faculty members and students who have contracted COVID-19.

Dudas said she felt comfortable with her classes being in person and that her classmates have been adhering closely to DePaul’s mask requirements.

However, mask mandates were recently lifted in Chicago and Illinois. 

Masks are no longer required on campus, except in classroom spaces and labs, according to the university’s February 25 update. Spaces that don’t explicitly require masking, or “mask friendly zones,” range from dining areas, hallways and elevators to residential hall common rooms, among others.

A campus worker passes by a “Mask-Friendly Campus” sign in DePaul’s Student Center Tuesday afternoon. Photo by Elly Boes, 14 East

In an email to 14 East, a university spokesperson told the magazine, “Social distancing is not required in any area on campus.”

Since Winter Quarter, campus activities look noticeably more crowded, much like the city and state after closing and reopening public spaces like schools, parks, bars and restaurants. 

Brian McCarthy — a DePaul graduate student in the first quarter of his master’s Entry to Nursing Practice program — said he is “pretty happy” that his classes are back in person.

“I know that as a nurse I’ll have to be in person no matter what’s going on with COVID, and definitely feel like I learn a lot better in person versus online,” he said.

In an email to 14 East, a university spokesperson told the magazine, “Social distancing is not required in any area on campus.”

Since Winter Quarter, campus activities look noticeably more crowded, much like the city and state after closing and reopening public spaces like schools, parks, bars and restaurants. 

Brian McCarthy — a DePaul graduate student in the first quarter of his master’s Entry to Nursing Practice program — said he is “pretty happy” that his classes are back in person.

“I know that as a nurse I’ll have to be in person no matter what’s going on with COVID, and definitely feel like I learn a lot better in person versus online,” he said.

Class Options Across Student Populations

For international students at DePaul, the discussion of in-person and remote learning options is not solely a matter of preferences; their student visas depend on it. 

Under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rules, international college students are not permitted to study in the U.S. if all of their courses are remote learning, or online. In March 2020, ICE issued a temporary guidance that allowed current students to stay in the U.S. if their courses switched to online learning, but it did not apply to new students.

When DePaul classrooms went fully remote beginning March 2020, new international students were not able to come study in the U.S. despite still paying American tuition fees. 

Neelima Purohit was one of these students. As a first year master’s in human resources student from India, she was only able to enter the U.S. last fall.

“I originally intended to move to the U.S. in fall 2020 but couldn’t due to the pandemic. I ended up deferring my program to 2021 and had to take my courses online for the first quarter,” said Purohit.

Although she appreciated some of the conveniences of online classes, Purohit said she would have preferred to meet her classmates and start her degree at DePaul in person. 

For international students, who make up 9% of DePaul’s student body, having in-person course offerings is crucial, but for other students remote access is needed, too.

Remote Learning Accessibility  

To those who need them, remote courses represent a way to create more accessible university policies for students often left without many online accommodation options prior to the pandemic.

Gwenyth True — an honor’s accountancy junior at DePaul and president of Accessible Futures DePaul — heard from numerous students that there has been a lack of online options and that many classrooms are not equipped for hybrid offerings.

According to the university, 30% of all Winter Quarter classes are remote while 100 of the in-person courses are “flex modality,” which can be either in person or online.

Half of True’s classes this quarter were supposed to be in person, but her professors have made accommodations for students, even keeping one of her classes online for an additional two weeks.

“The professor and students were concerned about COVID and many students in the class have health issues and are high risk for COVID, and so we decided as a class to stay online longer,” she said.

True also said that she has sometimes felt unsafe in her in-person classes in the past because she has not always seen mask mandates being enforced by professors. She hopes that even if COVID-19 cases continue to subside, DePaul will still make remote learning options available for students who may need them like disabled students, students who work, those with young children and immunocompromised students.

“This is a really good opportunity for the university to understand the importance of [remote accessibility] and to commit to allowing students that flexibility in the future,” said True.

Like True, representatives of Student Government Association’s Disabled Students Ad Hoc Committee support increased options for remote learning in addition to current offerings for in-person classes. 

In early February, 14 East covered the committee’s resolution calling for increased online class accessibility. This week members expect to meet with DePaul’s Center for Students with Disabilities — which helps coordinate student learning accommodations — to further discuss the resolution.

Plans for Spring Quarter

While some DePaul students highly anticipated a return to fully in-person courses this quarter, the choice between in-person and remote options is largely determined by individual academic departments.

According to university spokesperson Kristin Mathews, fewer courses will be available online Spring Quarter with 29% — or 1,267 classes out of 4,415 undergraduate and graduate excluding the College of Law courses — held fully remotely over Zoom.

However, students will have more hybrid options after Spring Break with 153 classes assigned with “on-campus hybrid” and “online hybrid” designations. Additionally, 88 flex courses will be available over Zoom and in person. In total, 71% of all Spring Quarter courses will be held either fully in person or through hybrid combinations.

Ivy Souter is a senior film and television student at DePaul. All but one of Souter’s classes were in person this quarter.

“I like being back in person, and I feel like I’ve never been worried [about] being in class for my safety with COVID,” said Souter. She said, too, that it is important students have a choice whether to have their classes be in person or online.

With many people traveling over Spring Break, the university plans to monitor COVID-19 cases and update protocols accordingly, including masking and social distancing on campus. 

Some students like Souter believe that DePaul should consider a remote start to Spring Quarter for quarantine as students return from their travel plans.

The university required students, faculty and staff to get a COVID-19 booster shot and upload their vaccination records online by March 1. So far, 62% of faculty and 76% of staff have submitted their booster shot documentation — excluding those with medical or religious exemptions — needed for Spring Quarter. 

According to Mathews, on campus COVID-19 protocols are expected to change in the coming weeks pending an announcement from DePaul administration after Spring Break.

As Winter Quarter officially ends March 20 and Spring Quarter approaches, the future of DePaul’s in-person, hybrid and remote learning  — much like the last two years — is still uncertain. 

For additional coverage and updates on DePaul’s COVID-19 protocols, check out “In the Loop,” 14 East’s weekly newsletter.

Header image by Aylene Lopez