College of Engineering students have found their own ways to succeed academically and socially while social distancing.

Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen sent out a mass email March 18 noting her decision to extend online instruction through the remaining spring 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Iowa. This left students wondering how they would continue on with their classes, especially those with laboratory requirements.

For Samuel Schreck, senior in civil engineering, multiple questions arose when online instruction was put into effect. Along with his typical academics, Schreck is an honors student. In the College of Engineering honors program, he has to submit a capstone project, which includes conducting research. He worked ahead and was able to complete his project prior to the outbreak.

Regardless, Schreck has been putting his full effort forward into staying on top of his classes by maintaining his new schedule.

“I would say a lot of my classes have gotten easier,” Schreck said. “But it’s just because I have more time now to focus on them because I’m not spending time going to classes or riding the bus. A lot of it is working in spurts — […] work for a few hours and then get distracted for an hour.”

Tyler Vogel, junior in industrial engineering, found his biggest change, aside from moving back home to Illinois, was in his project-based industrial engineering class. He was working with his assigned group on a project with Lennox, an HVAC heating and cooling company located in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Vogel and his project group intended on providing the company with feedback on measured parts produced by a new machine versus parts produced by an old machine.

“We had a contract with them, but now we can’t really go to the plant to get more parts for the project that we were going to do,” Vogel said. “So that kind of had a setback, and then not being able to be with our group has been pretty difficult.”

Before social distancing became an issue, he was able to get the necessary parts to complete his project at his home. Although he is the only one with access to the parts, Vogel doesn’t feel as if the group project pressure is all on him.

“We are just scaling back our project and tweaking it so we can do what we can with what we have,” Vogel said. “I’m at home so I have all the parts, but everyone is doing as much as they can.”

Michael Hurst, senior in civil engineering, said his professors are his largest help throughout the online class transition, as they check in on their students to note progress and provide assistance when needed.

“They’re going out of their way to get course material [online] and check up on me if I’m having troubles,” Hurst said. “But [online classes] aren’t really a problem for me; I’m just in my room doing homework.”

Hurst said the worst part for him is not being able to see his friends or classmates in person, but it isn’t the worst thing to be happening right now. Something that surprised him was seeing everyone adapt so well and work together to make the remaining semester the best it can possibly be.

He also enjoys spending time with his family, as he has moved back home for the time being and still fulfills his social needs by video calling his friends. He is reassured to know everyone is communicating with each other even more.

On the bright side for Hurst, he said he feels he is learning better in his large lecture classes online than he would’ve in person.

“Usually in a big lecture hall, I get lost in class or doze off for some parts,” Hurst said. “Now that it’s all online, anything that I miss I can go back and check on it, and I also have friends I can check in with for help, too.”