Atkins Publishes About the Importance of On-Campus Learning

By Caitlin Burns | October 5, 2020

Larry Atkins, adjunct professor of English, published an op-ed, “Don’t Sound the Death Knell for Colleges—They’ll Bounce Back,” on RealClearEducation on Sept. 26. 

The article discusses how on-campus learning may not be as obsolete as some predict, with the rise of remote learning during the pandemic. Atkins argues that although online learning can be very effective, students will miss the experiences that come with being on campus and will want to return to the classroom. 

“In the long run, online learning can’t replicate the on-campus experience that gives universities their main value,” Akins wrote. He includes some in-person activities that students value the ‘university experience’ for as, “playing varsity sports, belonging to fraternities, participating in school plays, involvement in the school radio station, television station, or campus newspaper, attending football and basketball games, participating in charity events, and going to campus parties.”