“[Online learning] sucks and it’s stupid,” my cousin yells as she angrily bites down on her taco. “You don’t get to see your friends, you don’t get to actually chat, you don’t get to have any parties, you don’t get to have any school events, you don’t get to have any stupid clubs!”

Sitting beside her at a table, I laugh as she continues her tirade before asking, “How do you feel now that things have changed?” 

She continues eating and pauses. “I still hate corona,” she finally responds. “They should find a cure.”

***

Even for ten-year-olds, COVID-19 has made a significant impact on the living conditions, social lives, and sanities of students all across the world. Since the beginning of 2020, social distance learning resorted us to absolute dependence on our screens and mobile devices. We connect to our professors through Zoom calls, listen to video lectures on YouTube, chat with classmates on GroupMe, and submit assignments on our laptops. The change was anything but smooth, and many of us could agree that online education just isn’t the same as sitting in the physical classroom. 

Whether the difference is good or bad is up for debate; however, public studies and UIC students themselves have contributed to the idea that COVID-19 has harmed more than just global health. This article series will delve into how this past year of learning has uncovered the disadvantages of remote online education during the pandemic. From the temptation to multitask to the struggles of accessibility, several factors have caused college students to fall behind on their educational plans. 

It is important to note that present-day research on the effects of online learning is not entirely conclusive. Plus, the manners in which students study and engage with their classes are limited by their school’s system and the regulations of their communities.

Ghosting Your Professor

Think back to your classes last semester. When you opened the virtual lecture room on your laptop and waited for the professor to start, did you turn on your camera, or did you present yourself as a dark screen? What about during class time? Did you use your mic to contribute to the discussion or the chat? Did you even talk at all during class?

Students have many options for engaging with online learning. Depending on the classes they take, they manage their hours, choose their studying preferences, and use specific platforms to communicate. A student’s educational preferences usually lie within their comforts and what they believe will help them succeed. However, one crucial option that they may have taken for granted this past year is maintaining a relationship with their professors. 

Online education has distanced students from their classmates and instructors because of the impersonal nature of electronic communication. Although e-mails, chatrooms, and video calls can help connect people, they lack sufficient, personal contact that allows students and staff to adequately listen to and understand each other. Of course, much of this depends on the type of class a student is taking, but nonverbal messages and social presence are needed to bring context and comprehension to communication. 

A New York Times editorial explains, “students need engagement with their teachers to feel comfortable and to succeed. What they often get online is estrangement from the instructor who rarely can get to know them directly.” These claims are especially true for students who neglect to present themselves in their classes by not participating or turning on their cameras. While this might not seem like such a big deal, letting your instructors hear from you and see your face makes an impact on your academic performance. The more often you show yourself in class, the more comfortable and confident you will feel about doing your work, speaking up in class, and asking questions when you need help. In addition, when you actively communicate with your instructors through class discussions, meetings, and messages, they will have a better idea of who you are as a student and what they can do to assist you. 

Active communication, however, can be difficult to achieve with asynchronous courses.

Computer Science major Lizbeth Morales finds that, “it would be easier for the professor to know if the students are actually understanding the subject or not because the professor can actually see their face, and see if they’re actually learning or not, or if they’re confused. Meanwhile, right now that it’s online the professor doesn’t get to see you when you’re watching their lectures, so they don’t know if they’re learning unless you’re taking a quiz and you pass it or not.”  

Because of the remote nature of online education, students are often left on their own to study textbooks, watch video lectures, develop projects, and understand concepts and formulas because they don’t have professors or classmates who are readily available for assistance. Outside of campus, students cannot simply raise their hands or tap another student’s shoulder when they are confused. They have to send electronic messages and sometimes wait hours for a reply. If instructors allow their students to independently complete their studies without occasionally checking in on them, they will notice lower success in their class scores. eLearning Industry elaborates on this by highlighting the differences between the traditional classroom and online education. 

“Classroom learning,” the site explains, “helps students and teachers know each other in a better manner. This allows teachers to know the students and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses better, act as mentors, and guide students… In a traditional classroom, students can directly share their views and clarify their own queries with the teacher, thus getting their questions answered right away… Also, classroom learning is more helpful due to a continuous interaction between students and teachers, as it helps students to get rid of their fears regarding exams, which can rarely happen with online guidance.” 

Student-professor relationships are crucial to academic achievement as noted by professors Eric Bettinger and Susanna Loeb in their 2017 report, “Promises and pitfalls of online education.” Using data they collected from thousands of DeVry University students in various courses, they found noticeable differences in student performance between those who took online and in-person courses. Students who took online courses reported a drop in their GPA by 0.15 points. This drop particularly affected lower-performing students who needed the extra assistance from their professors. Interestingly, although the online and in-person courses in this study were practically identical (they used the same textbooks, assignments, exams, and instructors), the online courses were not as effective for students because they did not amply meet their educational needs. These needs most likely fell short because “students in an online environment may feel isolated… confused, and frustrated… [and their] interest in the subject and learning effectiveness may be reduced.” A student’s fundamental learning activities are found in their ability to communicate their ideas with others. When they engage in conversation, they have the ability to actively discover and challenge new concepts, practice new skills, and surpass learning objectives with their professors. Online courses can inhibit student performance because it deprives them of the experiences and resources that traditional classrooms offer.