A Stunning Level of Disconnection

pdf copy of article uploaded on file.

Feb 9, 2026 at 10:36 AM

Respond to one of the following questions below (use the number in your response)

1. Throughout McMurtrie’s article, both professors and students note that students are excited to return to in-person classes on college campuses after learning online during the pandemic. Yet, both groups note a consistent lack of engagement, with professors noting students not doing the work or participating in classes, if they even come to class. Why do you think this is?
2. McMurtrie hears from one student, Maci Lyman, who commented, I want so badly to be active in my classroom, but everything just still feels, like, fake almost. What does a “real” class feel like (or, alternatively, what does a “fake” class feel like)?
3. Towards the end of her article, McMurtrie writes, “Many professors note that students feelings of exhaustion and anxiety mirror their own, and that perhaps they feed off one another.” In the discussion about the return to campus, the primary focus (understandably) was on student comfort and wellness, with little attention paid to staff and faculty comfort/wellness. Why might this be and what’s a consequence of not considering staff and faculty comfort/wellness?