While all St. Thomas students have transitioned to online classes, students taking lab courses are facing some additional challenges.

The change in class structure has been difficult for students and professors alike, but students are adjusting in ways that may have changed their minds about classes in general.

“For me, it makes it feel like having a lab in the first place is pointless if we can do all of it online,” sophomore Lauren Degn said.

Deng is a biology major who is currently enrolled in two lab courses: Organic Chemistry II and Neuroscience. Her lab experience has changed greatly.

“It kind of depends on the class,” Degn said. “One is really good and straightforward and the other one is a bit more chaotic and I’m going with the flow on that one, but neither one has been bad.”

For Degn’s two classes, she is still completing pre- and post-lab documents and meeting at a regular time, but has had to adjust to not participating in the labs themself.

“I think it’s tough for [the professors],” Degn said.

Professors in many different departments across the university have been trying to find innovative ways to keep their students engaged.

Adam Korak, an associate professor in the exercise science department, has found a way to keep himself and his students involved in the lab process.

“I have been bringing my wife with me into the lab and recording us using the equipment because I needed someone to help do the lab while filming it live,” Korak said.

To keep structure and hold students accountable, Korak does the lab during the allotted lab time over Zoom with his students present.

“ I launch Zoom at the regular time we have class,” Korak said. “But I am also recording them in case students can’t come to class.”

Korak has asked his lab students what they wish could be different during this time of social distancing and the students wish that they were in-person to use the equipment.

While circumstances are far from ideal, there may be opportunities for them to get some experience outside of the classroom.

“I’ve told my juniors that will be back in the fall that I’m more than happy to meet in small groups outside of class time to show them how to use the equipment that they missed out on this semester,” said Korak. “And to my seniors that will be gone, I said that if campus opens up at the end of the summer I’m inviting them to come back and learn how to use the equipment before they go off to the professional field.”

With the recent announcement from the university, it is still undecided on how the university will execute an in-person and online fall semester.

Mae Macfarlane can be reached at macf7507@stthomas.edu.