[Editor’s note: This piece was originally produced for a class and has been minimally edited for publication.]
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — Media and Journalism students at Commonwealth University – Lock Haven are experiencing an increase in online course offerings following the merger of 2022, impacting student morale.
Ashley Lawson, a senior studying communication with dual concentrations in electronic media and journalism, values the flexibility of online classes but stresses the necessity of in-person discussions for journalism-related inquiries.
“Moving more courses online could drive students to universities offering in-person classes or fully online degrees,” Lawson said.
Balancing academics, a corporate job, and duties as the editor-in-chief of Lock Haven’s student newspaper alongside four online classes (three asynchronous, one remote), Lawson admitted, “It’s incredibly hard to keep up, especially when professors are inconsistent with uploading work from week-to-week.”
Freshman Breanna Chicas, a media and journalism major with a focus in public relations, voiced her sentiments regarding asynchronous classes, expressing a sense of detachment from her professors.
“I honestly don’t find any benefits to online learning, because most of the time it’s not structured, there has to be added steps to talk with your professor and you’re essentially left to teach it to yourself,” Chicas said.
After the retirement of journalism professor Sharon Stringer in spring 2022, Matthew McKeague became the sole media faculty member at Lock Haven.
Banner’s records for this semester show that Commonwealth University offers 42 media and journalism courses. Lock Haven has two face-to-face media classes both taught by McKeague: ‘Digital Video Editing’ and ‘Media Production Workshop.’
Similarly, Mansfield offers the same number of traditional classes, while the Bloomsburg campus hosts 12 in-person courses. Additionally, there are over 20 online course offerings from combined instruction from various professors apart from the Commonwealth.
“It’s virtually impossible to avoid online classes no matter which university a student chooses these days,” McKeague said. “But I advocate for face-to-face classes as much as I can because that’s the modality my students say they prefer.”
According to Jason Genovese, chair of the media and journalism department, one of the toughest challenges have been determining which courses are suitable for online instruction while maintaining a blend of online and face-to-face classes to meet student needs and preserve the department’s technological advantages.
“We must also resist the trend of moving hands-on courses online. Faculty must adapt their courses and ensure they are as dynamic as possible, a task in which I am extremely confident our department will excel,” said Genovese.
