So my anatomy class got changed to online due to the virus. This is my professors first time teaching online, and everything is a mess. She tells us to do an assignment through pearson but when I log on there, there’s nothing on there. She’s blaming us saying how it’s weird that some students got the assignments while others didn’t. Like if half the class is complaining that they didn’t get the assignment, then it’s probably a mistake on her end. I missed a due date because it never appeared for me and i’m very annoyed because that will affect my grade and it wasn’t even my fault. There’s another assignment due the 27 and I emailed her asking her how can I access it because it’s not popping up for me, and she won’t respond to my message (she’s sending class emails) and this is really stressing me out. My plans is to go to medical school, so grades are super important to me and I don’t know what to do. I’m also taking 2 other bio classes and the assignments are through pearson and I don’t have a single issue with those classes and i’ve done all my homework on time. She’s pretty old too so i’m pretty sure she just doesn’t know how to work technology and has no idea how to fix it and is blaming us on “being lazy and not turning in the work”. I really don’t know what to do. I can’t drop the class either because I don’t want a W on my transcript. What would you do in my situation?
Answers & Comments
It may be that your professor is having some of the same technical problems you are. There have been many times when things work fine for me, but not for students. Or when they work fine for me and some students, but not all students. We professors aren't given the support tools to fix these kinds of things. The publisher support or school's IT support usually has to step in. That being said, if she's not responding to your concerns and is not taking you issues seriously, then you should escalate it to the department chair. You may contact IT in the meantime to see if they can help though. I don't think a W would look bad on your transcript right now anyway - everyone is going to know what was going on at this time, and it's easy to explain that an online anatomy class wasn't giving you the experience you felt you needed.
The Pearson sites are set up by Pearson publishing, and the material was written by the textbook authors and editors. If some students are accessing the site, it's there, and your teacher has no control over it. Do you have a number to call for tech support at your school? When my students have had trouble, it was usually either the browser they were using or a popup blocker, or something else about their particular computer or software. Your teacher can't fix that. Try another browser- if you're. using Chrome, try Safari. Check the settings on your computer. Try another computer. Show a little initiative. If you have problems like this on a job, and you just whine to your boss rather than trying to figure it out, you'll get fired. Your generation is supposed to be good with technology,
It's probably a combination of the two. I have taught online for a decade and had no problem transitioning over, but I still had a large chunk of students who could not figure it out and have not turned anything in. I blame the university for not providing online training to the students. It is probably the same for you. Check to see if your school is offering a credit/no credit option like so many others are, or if there are changes to the withdrawal policy. I know the Cal State system allowed students to withdraw up to the last week of lectures and any student can request a CR/NC option up until next week, long after the semester has ended and grades were submitted.
Having a W on your transcript this semester won't hurt you at all. You can even turn it into a positive by including in your essay that "After transitioning to online instruction during the pandemic it became clear that some topics were not able to be learned to the same depth online. I chose to withdraw from anatomy and retake it when it was available with on-campus labs to ensure I gained the level of understanding I desired."
About the online part, take screenshots showing what assignments show up or don't show up from your end. Show her. If she doesn't respond, forward your email to the department chair. Make it sound like you are worried about your professor..."Dear sir/ma'am, I emailed my professor for guidance because her assignments do not appear on my software. She hasn't answered and I'm worried she may not be able to access her email. Please advise. Thanks, Lila"