“Business” as usual at ILCC

Morgan Larson, Writer 

It is unreal how time has passed since everyone became familiar with the term “Coronavirus.” This pandemic has hit millions of people’s lives, whether drastically or slim to none. Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) has gone to great lengths to ensure students and facilities have the necessary resources and safety precautions to continue their educational journey.      

The Business Department at ILCC has continued to go above ensuring lectures, homework, and instructor availability can still be reached through this uncertainty. From 2019 to the current 2021 school year, the Business Department has stood firm in its proceedings to provide its students with the necessary coursework no matter what setting, student, or instructor is in.  

The fall 2020 semester had the entire Business Department off-campus.  Previously touching base with Ann Wimmer, who gave an insight into, at the time, of the current status of how everything was going within the Business Department.  Now returning for the spring semester, the Business Department reflects on the 2020 to 2021 teaching environments.    

Lecia Berven, the Accounting Specialist Coordinator within ILCCs Business Department, feels that coming back to the campus has impeded little change to her campus return. “It isn’t that different for me,” said Berven. “I’m still teaching everything on Laker LIVE. I was also teaching Laker LIVE last semester, just from a different place. Then it was from my home, and now I am in my office at the college.”    

Although the absence from physically being on campus, Berven feels that COVID-19 did not impose considerable differences comparing the two semesters. Berven goes on to say, “No considerable differences at all since I have been teaching through Laker LIVE. Normally, my job would be teaching on the Iowa Lakes Television System. Laker LIVE is identical to that; except I don’t have any students in front of me; they are all on Zoom.”   

Life as an instructor within this Department has not changed Berven’s life, even when her teaching methods are through Iowa Lakes Television System. “Business as usual,” smiled Berven.  

Even if Berven’s teaching style has remained somewhat normal, she has been able to take away from these experiences, a new perspective on the educational environment. “We don’t have to be in the classroom to make education work. It does work fine over Zoom,” said Berven. It is interesting to think how technology has provided new views on how classroom interaction can continue to be used during this time. 

It’s also about student adaptions as well, which do not go unnoticed in this scenario. Business students, through the eyes of the instructor, can see a transition between the combined two semesters. Berven believes her students have smoothly made the switch over without an issue. “I think students have adapted quite easliy to taking classes via Zoom, and they seem to grasp the technology,” said Berven.  

When asked if Berven sees any of her students taking advantage of this new learning setting, by not showing up for Zoom sessions, Berven does not see this as an issue with her students. “I don’t find that to be the case at all. The attendance may be better on Zoom than when I teach on the TV system,” Berven said confidently.

Despite the pandemic’s effects on the learning environment between the fall and spring semesters, it is still all about ILCC’s students. The Business Department oversaw for its students to thrive, to which enrollments have stayed relatively the same, whether online or face-to-face (F2F). From Berven’s point of view, she has not seen a change in this area of the Department. “My classes have been the same as they always have been. I will not be teaching any F2F classes this semester, as they will continue to be on Zoom,” said Berven.    

As this pandemic will someday cease to continue, and everything should fall back to finding that new meaning of the normal.  Right now, face-to-face classes seem bleak for the Business Department, by factoring in how much time has passed since the fall semester. Berven is uncertain about face-to-face classes happening any time soon.    

Although the faculty of the Business Department is back on campus, the same cannot be said for the students next fall. Berven touches on the subject, “It sounds like for the fall, we are continuing with Laker LIVE. That is still up in the air at this time, but it sure sounds like it.”   

Berven has a variety of teaching methods she has carried out. With the obstacles this pandemic has brought for both the 2020 fall and 2021 spring semesters, Berven’s preferred teaching method is a combination of online and face-to-face. “I do teach solely online courses where I don’t see the students, and I do teach through Zoom as far as online/ technological teaching methods.” “I would prefer to have students in front of me at times, but it’s also not like I don’t like teaching on Zoom,” she adds. This process has been working fine with Berven. It is a matter of saying one cannot be viewed better than the other.  It all depends on the situation.

Berven is not the only professor within the Business Department that has taken something away from this experience. Johnny Hurley, a fellow Business instructor with the department, is in charge of the Intro to Computers, Information Computing, Computer Accounting, Payroll Accounting, and Advanced Microsoft Office Applications courses.

Compared to Berven’s experience from last semester to this semester, Hurley has had a different approach to the changes, especially by returning to the campus this spring. “Being at campus allows me to see students in the halls and see my co-workers,” said Hurley.

This change in environments between semesters could present various difficulties. For Hurley, the impact on her work has been minimal. “Other than seeing people, my teaching is the same,” said Hurley. “I am teaching in my office versus teaching at home in my home office. I see students through the Microsoft Teams application just as I did from home,” she adds.   

Moving forward with the spring semester, Hurley took a moment to compare the effectiveness of both semesters regarding learning environments. “Students are doing very well in the environment that they are being taught. I see less absences and more interaction through the Teams application,” said Hurley.  Students can schedule individual times to meet with her to either go over assignments and ask any necessary questions.  

This scenario has brought forth new ways to take on how students and instructors can connect and get information across to one another, whether face-to-face or strictly online. Hurley prefers a similar approach as Berven. “I like teaching both ways. There are benefits to both situations for the instructor and the students,” Hurley commented.  

One can create an image of how visible the 2020-2021 has shaped the Business Department by looking at enrollment figures and noting when and where student and instructor interaction took place. Hurley believes that there is a stable incline in enrollments during this time.  

Hurley goes on to say, “The number of students in my courses is steady in comparing the two semesters. My advisees slightly increased this spring from last fall.” The comparison between Berven and Hurley’s insight into their student numbers proves an interesting point of view.

Putting all of this into perspective, the Business Department’s overall welfare for everyone involved has to be taken into account in light of the pandemic. Hurley believes it has been an overall success. “Regardless of where we are teaching, we have remained in contact with one another and made the best of the pandemic situation, Hurley reassures.

As the spring semester continues, one has to wonder if the Business Department has to put any procedures or restrictions that are not already implicated from the college, on their return to campus. According to Hurley, there have been no changes toward how everything was set in place since last semester.  

All of this information can start to lay the groundwork for how a particular department at a community college can seek out the best possible solutions for everyone involved.  Students, instructors, and college faculty themselves have set guidelines and safety precautions to ensure everyone can continue learning in the best possible way.  

During these times, earning a degree is seemingly rewarding to achieve, even with life’s hiccups. It’s all about being able to defy the odds and get the best out of what one can receive as this pandemic continues to linger in the background. To everyone at Iowa Lakes Community College, each and every one of us, no matter what program or department has gone to great strides to make this semester better than the last. That’s what makes everyone at ILCC; Laker Proud.