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Five years ago, I started this job during the beginning of pandemic lockdowns. At the time, returning to Colorado wasn’t much of a homecoming for me. I rarely saw my family or friends. I didn’t even meet my coworkers in person until months later.
I write this to point out that the pandemic shaped all of us. And when it comes to this generation of students, we’re still figuring out the many ways it changed them.
So when I thought about how Chalkbeat could dissect the impact of COVID on students five years later, I thought about an introductory class I visited at the University of Northern Colorado in 2022.
University 101 helps first year and transfer students in certain majors adjust at the college. Students learn study skills, go to events, and participate in group projects. College instructors hope to teach the building blocks of a successful college experience.
In 2022, professors said that pandemic isolation meant students were struggling to break out of their shells and reluctant to visit campus events.
Now, three years later, instructor Angela Vaughn, who oversees the program, said that some of those social skills have returned.
But students have different expectations of life in a classroom, she said. They sometimes prefer class over Zoom rather than in-person instruction. They push back on instructors’ rules, such as putting away their phones, turning in assignments on time, and regularly attending class.
The behavior likely relates to their pandemic-era high school experience, when teachers were more likely to give students leeway on deadlines and attendance, Vaughn said.
Instructors don’t fault students for having different expectations, she said. But they’re not going to let up on teaching them why those expectations matter.
“They’re starting to become adults, and we’re here to help them expand their perspective beyond what they’ve experienced and what they know or think they know,” Vaughn said.
Higher ed stories from Chalkbeat
10 ways COVID changed American schools — The ways schools rose to meet the moment and the ways they failed continue to reverberate through the American education system.
The Trump administration’s DEI orders are dividing Colorado universities and their students — Since President Donald Trump took office, universities in Colorado have had to adjust to a rapidly changing political landscape.
Trump administration launches civil rights investigation into schools, including CU Colorado Springs — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced investigations into over 50 colleges and universities for alleged violations.
U.S. Department of Education slashes staff — The layoffs represent a significant escalation of Trump’s efforts to reduce the department’s role in education.
Some Jeffco students could soon get automatic admission to Colorado School of Mines — Officials announced the “first-of-its-kind” initiative that will give qualified Jeffco students a fast track to admission.
What we’re reading
Pay for Colorado college athletes takes legislative step forward, though universities would still be able to keep compensation secret The Colorado Sun
Following suicides at CU Boulder, friends and family want people to know: this is everyone’s problem KUNC
CSU implements ‘hiring chill’ and other cost-cutting measures in response to funding fears Fort Collins Coloradoan
Trump’s funding cuts are hitting early-career researchers the hardest WBEZ via Open Campus
International enrollment’s precarious moment Inside Higher Ed
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
