Will They Finish?

As we near the end of the semester--just a few weeks to go--the question looms: how many of my students just aren't going to be able to finish their courses?

I've repeatedly asked that students who are having difficulties, such as lack of internet access, should let me know, and a few have. I'm pretty sure most can get email on their phones, and early on they could still go to the library or a cafe to use public computers or wifi. But it seems probable that I haven't heard from everyone who will be unable, for one reason or another, to finish. Apparently one-sixth of households in the area do not have internet, often because they cannot afford it (the elderly also often lack internet, but while my students are of many ages, they don't tend to be elderly). Spectrum has offered 60 days of free internet to students, but how many have read the emails telling them that?

My largest class, the Renaissance to now survey, has a short paper due today. Originally this paper involved choosing from a list of artworks on view at our local museum, but that had to be changed to a list from those the museum displays online. There is also a small amount of required research using online databases. It will be interesting, and possibly depressing, to see how many students turn in the paper. One of my other classes had a paper due a week ago, which also involved looking at art in person (so an alternate form of the assignment had to be done for those who hadn't begun the paper before our gallery closed); despite the alternate instructions, only two-thirds of the class turned in a paper. (True, most of those people didn't turn in their first paper either, so coronavirus may not be implicated at all there!)

My third, smallest class has one big research paper rather than two shorter papers. Some of those students seem to have completely disappeared. There is not much I can do if people do not let me know they're struggling, but it's disturbing to know that, whether for lack of internet, lack of quiet time, illness, or other reasons, a significant percentage of my students may not be able to finish their courses this semester.