In the first half of 2020, most of the universities had all distance learning classes. Some of the first-year students had just entered the university, living alone for the first time far away from their parents with no opportunity to make friends as all classes were taught remotely as soon as they entered. Under such circumstances, some students, who strongly desired face-to-face classes, appealed for them on Twitter with the hashtag #大学生の日常も大事だ (“The daily life of a university student is also important”). Some are even asking for a full or partial refund of tuition, giving the impression that universities that offer distance learning have it easy. On the other hand, some faculty members have also exchanged opinions on the Internet, with 20,000 people joining a Facebook group for sharing wisdom and information on what university faculty members should do in the wake of the COVID-19 suspension of classes, and various discussions were held on the tools and methods of distance learning. Tips on how to create on-demand videos and how to discuss in the breakout room of Zoom were discussed with enthusiasm. Looking at the posts in the Facebook group, some faculty members seemed to be enjoying the distance learning, while others expressed grief, saying that they spend more than 10 hours every day to create on-demand videos and only get 3 hours of sleep every day when conducting Zoom classes.
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