By Kayla Cheung and Anthony Vidal
Students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools with an unweighted grade-point average of at least a 3.0 have the opportunity to take free courses at Miami Dade College (MDC). These courses cover subjects ranging from the humanities and fine arts to more STEM-oriented topics. Students across MDCPS take advantage of MDC’s wide variety of classes, electing to take them for enjoyment, to get ahead in their studies, or both.
The Miami Dade College North Campus is most renowned for its dual enrollment program, with the majority of MDCPS students heading there for the Summer or even throughout the school year to take classes.
For the first time ever, this summer’s dual enrollment students will have the choice to opt for in-person classes, take the courses online, or use a newer system where they can do both simultaneously. This overwhelming amount of options has left high schoolers indecisive of what option to finalize.
MDC students have experienced both alternatives, and they have a unique point of view regarding how high schoolers should tackle dual enrollment at MDC; whether that be by choosing one modality indefinitely or mixing them up. Covid-19 weighs heavily on people’s decisions, and this is especially important when thinking about participating in any school-related activities.
“I believe at the moment it is safer [to stay home]; but when summertime comes around, I wouldn’t mind going in-person. I just think I’ve become so comfortable and have adapted to school at home that, if by choice I had to choose, then I would go with at home,” said former dual enrollment student Kasha Finlay.
After a year of digital learning, some students feel that the idea of making their first in-person academic debut at MDC is daunting and unpredictable. An integral part of making a final decision calls for breaking down those walls that Covid-19 has put up in students’ academic lives, but making that jump during a period of repose can be overwhelming.
That being said, students also need to consider a distinct point of view: re-entering physical schooling during the summer could possibly set them up for success in the 2021-2022 school year.
“[Online school] is more challenging and you constantly need to motivate yourself in order to do your very best. Sometimes, it can be harder and so you don’t do as best as you could, especially feeling the pressure as a first time college student but I don’t believe it’s impossible to get the grade you’d like, you just have to work a little harder. I do think in-person is better for first timers to get the on-hands experience,” added Finlay.
Other MDC students share similar feelings, like Marsha Deus, a student who started MDC in-person during the fall of 2019 before transferring online.
“I would say in-person classes are much more beneficial. Being in class and on campus makes for a much more enjoyable college experience. I feel like I haven’t really learned as much as I did when we were on campus. Online classes don’t require the same amount of learning and concentration as in class does,” said Deus.
The learning process has always taken place with students physically at school, which is deemed to be the most effective way of teaching. However, dual enrollment students like Diamara Chacon, who took online classes for over a year, have gotten used to some of the advantages that distance learning brings.
“I feel like in-person definitely isn’t as interactive and hands-on as online, but I’ve found online classes to work for me better than in-person because it’s easier, and I don’t have to drive a long distance to be on campus. I find online easier and more comfortable,” Chacon said.
The online or in-person discourse has been a subject of debate since the beginning of the pandemic. Yet, this is the first time dual enrollment students get to make the choice, and as such, they must consider all the variables.
