Education during a pandemic: Academic stress and online learning

By Maria Papagiannopoulou,

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused some of the largest disruptions in education and especially on learners and teachers around the world from pre-primary to secondary schools, technical and vocational training institutions, universities, adult learning and skills development establishments. 

In the beginning of March 2020, a growing number of universities and schools either postponed or cancelled the lectures due to the rise of the pandemic. What happened this specific period? Has education rose again? Actually it did. On the one hand, the potential of digital technologies to enhance student learning had already been well established before this outbreak. In the last few years, much enthusiasm has surrounded the development of digital technologies along increasingly personalised, remote, adaptive, and data-driven lines. The concept of blended learning to combine the benefits of face-to-face and online teaching is gradually being integrated into institutions (Dziuban et al. 2018), and digital technologies are clearly integral to the future of university education around the world (Henderson et al. 2017). However, due to the sudden emergence of COVID-19, most faculty members faced unforeseen challenges, including lack of online-teaching experience, lack of time for preparing distance-learning courses, and figuring out how to make use of support from educational technology teams and learners’ anxiety increased. Anxiety can appear at any time cutting across all age groups and social stratifications (Ng & Peggy, 2020). Some of the most common thoughts that learners face are mentioned below:

• Worried about how the virus is impacting you, those around you, your friends and your family.
• Concerned by lockdown measures having a negative impact on your mental health.
• Unsupported by your university/school and peers when you need help and reassurance.
• Sad or angry that you cannot make new or see current friends at university/school.
• Overwhelmed by having to adjust to new working environments, teaching methods and routines.
• Stressed about the impact on your finances (particularly your fees or loans).
• Uncertain about your future and job prospects (also worrying about completing your studies).
• Stigmatised or unfairly judged by people who have seen negative images of students in the media.
• Disappointed by how the university/school life you imagined is not meeting your expectations.
• Frustrated by other students breaking rules, or how your university is handling coronavirus outbreaks (campus lockdowns and mandatory isolation, for example).

All of the above thoughts can be reduced by the support that teachers offer. As a child, I always worried about exams, assessments, my future career and success; so anxiety was a constant feeling. Now that I am working on a language environment as a teacher, I have come up with a list of useful tips in order to help my students lower the effects of anxiety on learning:

1. Following Directions: have written directions on the board or elsewhere so they are clear and visible to all. Give a signal before giving important instructions.
2. Answering Questions at the Board: can the student be exempt from this activity or is there another way for them to be involved. Simply writing the information on the board and then sitting down before the material is analyzed?
3. Testing Conditions: having extended time or taking the test in another quiet, distraction free room is helpful. The use of word banks or equations sheets can also cue the student who may ‘blank out’ due to anxiety when tested.
4. Homework expectations: give the class an estimate of how much time each homework assignment will take, assign every other math problem, reduce reading and writing assignments, allow books on tape, and allow alternative methods for answering in lieu of written responses.
5. Remind kids/adults to eat healthy and stay well. A healthy diet and plenty of sleep make a difference in how well a student is able to handle situations that could be overwhelming. It is one of the reasons that snack and rest time were an essential part of the day in Greek schools.
6. Talk about anxiety openly. Do not set anxiety up as something you want (or should) get rid of. It is part of life, and it is not realistic to think it will go away completely.
7. Try walking, talking and practicing deep breaths. When people slow down their breathing, they slow down their brain. When I notice that one of my learners is struggling with anxiety, I will often lead the whole class in a breathing exercise. It helps the child who is overwhelmed and usually a few other kids too. Sometimes, I will do it just because the whole class is squirrelly and we need to focus. Slow, deep breaths are the key! On the other side, exercise helps anyone who is feeling anxious. Anxiety can end up looking like anger, so if you see this, try taking a movement break.

As children, adults and the whole world is struggling with the COVID-19 unprecedented condition, in the limelight, online learning has blossomed out. Online learning has benefited a lot both learners and teachers alike. For those who still need to juggle working and going back to school, the flexibility of an online program provides individuals with the opportunity to learn while still working and growing professionally. When learning online, you can revisit past material or stop the lecture to perform additional research or organize your notes. You can work through the lesson plan at your own pace to ensure you are really mastering the material before moving on to the next section. This added flexibility allows online learners to move through the course work at their own speed and get the most out of the degree program. Time management and virtual communication and collaboration are some of the most powerful positive effects of online learning. As critical thinking plays an important role in any type of education, this sort of self-paced and self-motivated knowledge demonstrates to future employers that you have the ability to think critically and overcome any obstacles that might stand in your way.

To conclude, online learning has supported learners and teachers in these difficult times that the educational system is being challenged. Speaking about student anxiety it is an inevitable reality in today’s classroom. Knowing how to recognize the signs and deal with the symptoms will help teachers lessen its impact and effect on learning.

References

Abdul Hamid Arribathi, Suwarto, Ali Miftakhu Rosyad, Mukti Budiarto, Dedeh Supriyanti & Mulyati (2021) An Analysis of Student Learning Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study in Higher Education, The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/07377363.2020.1847971

Dziuban, C., Graham, C. R., Moskal, P. D., Norberg, A., & Sicilia, N. (2018). Blended learning: The new normal and emerging technologies. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15(1), 3.

Henderson, M., Selwyn, N., & Aston, R. (2017). What works and why? Student perceptions of ‘useful’ digital technology in university teaching and learning. Studies in Higher Education, 42(8), 1567–1579.

Ng, Y.-M. , & Peggy, P. L. (2020). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) prevention: Virtual classroom education for hand hygiene. Nurse Education in Practice , 45 , 102782. Available here. 

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https://www.simplilearn.com/

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