Some in the USC community are still unclear about how to proceed with online course procedures as Wednesday, the scheduled day to begin a three-day test period to move classes online in light of concerns over COVID-19, approaches.
Following an email sent to students Friday evening announcing all lecture and seminar-based classes would be held online using Zoom, a video and audio conferencing software, from Wednesday to Friday, students were uncertain about the details and procedures for attending classes online.
Lab classes are still scheduled to take place as normal through Friday, barring individual cancellations by professors and lab instructors.
Students in performance and production-based classes, such as those in the Thornton School of Music, School of Dramatic Arts, and School of Cinematic Arts, received emails over the weekend regarding changes to typical class meeting times. Many students were still confused about attendance expectations, including Amrit Singh, who is double majoring in theatre and astrophysics.
“I’m starting rehearsals for my main stage show this week, so we’re all pretty confused on if classes are canceled and what will happen to our show schedule,” Singh said. “We’re still rehearsing in person, as with all of my performance classes.”
An interview with Professor Scott Spencer of musicology provided further clarification about scheduling.
“Any rehearsals for concerts or other special events that are tied to courses, like the symphony that have scheduled performances next week, are still going to be held,” Spencer said.
Students, such as Mesha Mosley, a senior communications major, expressed their concerns over the usage of Zoom for class lectures.
“Even in the messages that were sent out, it was unclear … I think the communication could have been better,” Mosley said.
A statement from the School of Dramatic Arts stated that “a studio class that includes a live performance exercise with midterm assessments, which is scheduled for Weds/Thurs/Fri of this week, is permitted to continue in person, as normal.” Other classes in SDA have been shifted online, beginning Wednesday.
Thornton students were informed that all of their classes, including private lessons and ensembles, will be held online during the test period, with the exception of rehearsals for previously scheduled recitals and performances set for next week.
The School of Cinematic Arts announced that production courses that aren’t taught in a lecture or seminar format are excluded from the online system and will be held in-person during the test period.
In the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, all classes will be held online during the three-day trial period with the exception of media center lab courses and TV news production courses. Professor Dan Birman, who teaches documentary film courses, discussed the hands-on nature of the film creation process, from critiquing video together to learning how to use new equipment. He explained that while online classes can still bring students and faculty together, important interactions are missed.
“It's not the same experience,” Birman said. “Part of what communication is, [is feeding] off of each other. We see each other, and if somebody says something, we get to see what their facial expressions are. So we have a better understanding of what's going on.”
The implementation of Zoom follows the trend of other schools that have fully integrated online courses into their curriculum due to COVID-19, such as the University of Washington and Stanford. While it is unclear if USC will follow the examples set by these schools, the upcoming drill will test the contingency plan for that possibility.