Written by: Shirali Pathak
Editor’s note: The following article is written by a counseling graduate student in partnership with Counseling Services and the Southern Accent.
Research conducted in 2021 by Xinyang Li and colleagues from Texas Tech University indicates that in a society with a growing rate of online learning, students are experiencing high rates of anxiety through online courses.
With the increase in internet and computer technology, we all encounter the impact of these sources each day, according to the published research titled “The scale of online course anxiety: Assessing college students’ anxiety in online courses.” Since switching to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, studies are showing that many college students have become increasingly anxious while academic performance has become detrimentally impacted, according to the researchers.
In the article, Li and colleagues also explain that psychologists have identified that anxiety due to online courses may come from the online environment versus a traditional classroom atmosphere that is more common, isolation from instructor and peers, the role of technology, a lack of two-way communication between students and teachers and the student’s personal environment.
The reflection of students’ work ethics due to online learning has been expressed through behaviors such as postponing online exams, not attending classes and delaying assignments, according to a 2017 written article by Raafat Saadé and colleagues for the Informing Science Institute. It’s important that professors and employers check on students’ mental health by showing compassion, understanding and having a listening ear.
An article written in 2017 by Malia Keirsey titled “9 tips to overcome anxiety about the e-learning environment” talks about the struggles students face through online learning and ways to overcome feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
Talking with friends, family or someone that you can trust can be comforting when dealing with anxiety. Creating a personal schedule with sticky notes or a planner may help you space out your time so you’re not as anxious and overwhelmed by all the tasks waiting to be completed.
Taking breaks regularly is important for concentration and regaining energy to focus on class and assignments. If you’re unable to step away from a class session online, take a couple of seconds to turn your camera off and take slow, deep, steady breaths by inhaling for six seconds and exhaling for six seconds. This breathing technique, known as resonant breathing, can help calm your anxiety and bring you back into a relaxed state, according to an article in 2019 by Ana Gotter titled, “8 breathing exercises to try when you are feeling anxious.”
As online learning continues to become more and more common, it’s important to be aware of your emotional status and mental health while navigating the online environment.