Life During COVID-19: The Student Experience

This study’s objectives were to provide Thomas Jefferson University’s faculty and administration examples of the challenges students face during COVID-19 and give students a chance to process their experiences with one another. A team of student researchers and interdisciplinary faculty members conducted a photo-elicitation study. Participants were instructed to take photographs for up to 10 days that helped them describe life during the pandemic. The students were subsequently interviewed about their photos over a video conferencing platform. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 43 university students from April20th, 2020-May 26th, 2020. Qualitative analysis of interview transcripts revealed that students were impacted by the pandemic on three levels: individual, interpersonal, and organizational. Participant responses are a call to action for educators to prioritize safety, connection, and wellness in their pedagogical practices. The students who participated in this project made a clear statement to faculty about their learning and well-being needs. Learning cannot be prioritized over loss of safety amidst the pandemic, health concerns, or social injustices