Hanxi Tang on the University of Iowa campus

In an effort to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19, the University of Iowa transitioned to online teaching for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester. As a result, all UI students shifted to virtual instruction on March 30.

We checked in with Hanxi Tang, international student from Beijing, China, about her transition to online courses.

How have your online courses been going?

Moving to virtual instruction was actually a smooth process for me. I am taking my time to adjust to the new style of learning, but I'm confident that it'll end up fine with all the support we have. To me, what has really helped with moving to virtue instructions is keeping my original routine. I also set up a work station in my room that helps me to avoid distractions.

What does your daily life look like?

I’ve learned that the most helpful thing is for me to keep to my regular routine. So, every day I get up and make sure that I have all of the supplies I need and connect to ICON and Zoom meetings for my classes. I make sure that I use one set station for all of my studies. I kind of confine myself to a to-do list and also I try to make a more detailed schedule than what I would normally do if I were taking classes on campus—just to make sure that most of the hours in my day are occupied by something.

Do you have any tips for other students as they transition to online learning?

I think it's also important to communicate with professor and teaching assistants. They are all understanding and supportive. I also try my best to stay connected with my friends who are in the same classes. We shares notes and ask each other questions and even set up small Zoom meetings to study together. And lastly, it helps to keep a positive attitude and blame any glitches on the virus, not the people.

Would you be willing to give us a tour of your work station? What other tips do you have?

Check out this video for Tang’s response!