We had all been following the news of COVID-19 outbreak in China. We understood the dangers of this virus and yet, were completely taken aback when it hit our shores. Our physical preparedness was not the factor that affected us the most, rather it was our mental readiness of experiencing a pandemic of this magnitude first-hand. As students, we were closely monitoring the situation around the world and connecting it with our subject areas, contemplating on the adverse effects of COVID-19 in real-time. When we were forced to go into a lockdown, all aspects of our lives changed completely.

We were dreading the day when we had to go into a lockdown, unsure of how we can proceed with our work and studies. It was evident that online methods were the only way that could work, and they swiftly became the means around which our lives revolved. Even though we were studying a programme from the University of the West of England here in the Maldives, our classes were taken face to face in QI Campus. We received our assignments and reading materials from UK, but our learning took place physically. It was almost unimaginable, switching to virtual means to continue our studies. However, Villa College came up with a system that would make the transition easier for the students and the lecturers despite the challenges that were faced. It was a difficult time for everyone and the determination showed by the College to provide the students with the best experience was apparent and admirable.

With the new semester starting with the lockdown still in place, Villa College has worked really hard to make sure students were happy and that the students can complete the learning outcomes of the modules from their respective programmes, despite the challenging situation. The timings and allocation of classes were informed in advance and we receive class reminders everyday from the faculty. On top of that, the use of Google Meet as the primary way for online classes mean that we get a unique learning experience, and an experience similar to that of a physical classroom at the same time.

Through all this, the effort of our lecturers has been immense. Their willingness to teach us to the best of their abilities have been one of the key reasons why we have been able to deal with fast-approaching deadlines and perform to our best in our assignments and exams. It goes without saying, that Villa College has one of the best lecturers’ pool around, and it showed during this time of need. We are really grateful for the work of our lecturers in getting us through an unprecedented period of time.

While we cannot wait to resume normal classes as soon as possible, we have had a unique and amazing experience studying online here at Villa College. The lecturers continue to be immensely helpful and the staff are always available to make sure we have an amazing learning experience. We are unsure of how the situation will pan out in the coming days and months, but we are sure that the College is working tirelessly to give us an amazing learning experience until things can return to normal or until we can continue with physical classes.