By Katie Extine, Special to the Journal
For many, this semester started with confusion as several students were misinformed by their Navigate and myPelli schedules, with room numbers coming up as unavailable when checking their class locations. Not knowing where your next class is doesn’t just confuse; it can also be a cause for concern. Without a convenient way to check class locations, students may be late to class or not get there at all.
Making sure students can find their rooms and attend their classes is extremely important in establishing the first few days of new classes and routines. In turn, this issue might cause a student to miss out on essential information from their class, causing them to start this semester one step behind.
Professor Trent Eades says, “The first day of class is very important because a lot of being a teacher is managing expectations. When students know these things, they can rise to that challenge. Students who miss that first day, you may be able to chat with them for a few minutes, but that’s not the same as being able to have a full class period to go over the syllabus, class expectations, and start to get to know others.”
In a brief interview with two students here at Pellissippi State Community College, Olyver LaGabed and Jackie Ayala, staff writer and editor for Imaginary Gardens, respectively, LaGabed said, “Jackie went to my room because the French professor and the Philosophy professor’s rooms got swapped. So she went to the wrong room, and then she had to go find her classroom. With Pellissippi State’s attendance policy, that creates a lot of problems, because students can fail their classes if they’re counted absent.”
Adding onto what LaGabed mentioned, Ayala noted, “I checked on my syllabus, and it said the same room number that Olyver was in. So, I was like, oh, if it’s in the syllabus, of course it’s going to be right. I thought that it was going to be in that room if it’s on the document.” Having class-specific material, like a syllabus, with contradicting information to other sources can make the situation even more confusing, since these documents are trusted to be updated.
Ayala went on to mention, “On Navigate, something we both noticed was the location said it was unavailable for both our classes.” If this is happening on other students’ Navigate apps and myPellissippi schedules, they might end up in a similar position to LaGabed and Ayala.
One possible explanation for this mix-up is the closure of the Ned R. McWherter Technology Building due to the ongoing construction and remodel. This meant any classes that might have been held in that building are now having to be held elsewhere.
Many of those classes seem to be being diverted to the Lamar Alexander Arts & Sciences Building. Ayala mentioned, “All my classes are in Alexander [building] right now. Not a single one of them is in any other building.”
Having to update and accommodate all these changes and the relocations might have led to the locations of these classes not being spread out equally amongst the other buildings. This overload on the Alexander building could’ve also been a leading factor in the room number system mix-up.
Luckily, students have not been left in the dark and have found ways to work around the system being down. While this problem doesn’t seem to be fully fixed yet, Pellissippi State is working with students as best they can while it persists. If there aren’t clear answers after checking a student’s personal schedule sources, like Navigate and myPellissippi, checking in with the library can help.
There are plenty of other things the library can help with as well! Slice, a student employee in the Educational Resource Center (ERC), was kind enough to explain some of the aids and services offered by the ERC and library, such as the quiet spaces and tech rentals. “Here at the circulation desk, we can check out things like laptops, hotspots, and books. You can set up research appointments with librarians to help you look through the different databases and information that we have if you are working on a project. We also have some study rooms and quiet spaces up on the 3rd floor. There’s also an open computer lab on the third floor. ”
Having all these resources on campus, as well as offline assistance through the library’s website, can alleviate any anxieties that could hold a student back. While Pellissippi State may occasionally have its mishaps during this time while the school is growing and being remodeled, the staff and resources are here to support the students through it.
