Online education opens up new opportunities for both colleges and students. Colleges can have a wider reach with lower costs, and students access education easily at a discounted price.
Students can also structure their learning patterns to fit their personal preferences. Unfortunately, online education in college has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. Some inherent mental health issues are caused by online education among college students. What are some of those issues?
Effects of social isolation
College sparks fond memories when pondered over by graduates. They think of all the friends and people they have met during that phase of their life. Some might have stories about how their friends saved them academically or showed support in times of need. Unfortunately, online education does not afford students this opportunity.
The social isolation students experience when studying online is a major mental health issue. To deal with this issue and other mental health problems triggered by online education, find a therapist on Zencare.co. This therapist listing site has the best local therapists that can help you get through online education in one piece emotionally and mentally.
“Zoom fatigue” leads to stress
The boom of videoconferencing tools that colleges have adopted has led to a variety of buzzwords that were new to people. For example, the term Zoom fatigue was coined recently and has been described as the effect of being on videoconferencing for prolonged periods.
Zoom fatigue is mental tiredness that results in a lack of concentration on the curriculum being taught. This mental health trigger affects both students and lecturers. However, the effects of Zoom fatigue are more evident among students. The results of this mental health trigger include stress and anxiety. Due to poor academic performance, some students might also develop depression and other mental health issues.
Online education promotes a sedentary lifestyle
In college, students enjoy different physical activities like sports or track athletics. Alternatively, students can utilize gym facilities to pursue an active lifestyle. Online education robs of students this privilege and indirectly promotes a sedentary lifestyle. Since students do everything on their screens, they might not feel motivated to get out there and be active.
Instead, they might live a sedentary lifestyle leading to depression and anxiety. Students might focus on indoor activities such as watching TV and sleeping. As a result, they can fall into a bad routine. In addition to the mental health disadvantages of a sedentary lifestyle, this routine could lead to physical conditions like hypertension and diabetes.
Prolonged screen time
Students spend a lot of time in front of their screens. They interact with friends on social media, play video games and watch movies on laptops and mobile devices. In addition to these non-essential activities, spending a full day in front of a screen studying frustrates students. They might start being aloof during class and begin performing poorly academically.
In traditional colleges, students can substitute screen time with textbooks and in-person lectures. With online education, minimizing screen time is impossible, and that could cause mental health issues. These mental health issues could be exacerbated if the student spends all night studying.
Procrastination with online learning
Although online learning provides some flexibility to college students, it also leads to procrastination. College students procrastinate on school work and assignments until the very last minute. This unhealthy routine leads to sleepless nights in pursuit of meeting an assignment’s deadline.
Studying for exams is also delayed to the very last minute, which leads to sleepless nights. All of this takes a toll on mental health. Students might find it hard to concentrate on the following day in class and feel under pressure. These are leading causes of anxiety and even depression amongst college students.