Publish at April 26 2023 Updated April 26 2023
We are social animals. Even the loneliest among us crave, from time to time, to connect with at least one other human being. Communicating both information and emotions is a basic need. We have found ways for ages to do this. Letters continue to be fun even though they took a digital turn in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Technology has blurred issues of boundaries and brought together people who were highly distanced.
For that matter, technology was more than necessary during the health crisis that began in 2020. Businesses and schools had to turn to digital means of communication to continue their work. It was then possible to partly continue the activities, among others, academic despite the distance.
It would be reductive, however, to overlook an important part of the reality of learning during covid-19. Indeed, many students experienced great stress. This could be getting used to the distance device. Yet, a study published in March 2023 targeted quite accurately in its conclusion which we translate here:
However, we conclude that it was interpersonal challenges, in the form of missing social connections, that were paramount in covid-19 stress. Interpersonal relationships were valued more (by students) than academic content...universities should then focus more on fostering meaningful relationships with the student body in the post-pandemic university.
Indeed, it may seem odd, but the issue of student community is an important part of the student experience and the pandemic resulted in a frank cut to these encounters. All efforts have been put into educational continuity so that no one loses their academic year or semester. This is not a bad thing in itself, but it has excluded the whole social aspect, relegating it to the back seat when it is supposed to be central. Moreover, in many studies have been conducted around the world following the pandemic and its effects on students, this element comes up again and again. It was not the rapid transition to online learning that was difficult but the lack of a sense of belonging in this distance education.
During the crisis, many elementary and secondary teachers admitted that keeping young people engaged during class periods was tricky. They didn't know how to replicate the frequent in-person help they offer in the face-to-face setting. So much so that some were visiting their students' homes or sharing their phone numbers for support. In fact, universities like this one in Florida have opened up counseling platforms to help them get through the covid. And, this is even if it has little to do with grades.
In fact, at this point, pedagogy research tends to show that a remote teacher initiating or not initiating interactions has little effect on learner success. This study published in 2016 in South Korea and the U.S. shows little correlation between the two. Except that grades don't make the whole educational environment. Especially since we know that online courses, even before the pandemic, had difficulties with student attrition. Yet, can the latter improve and how? By developing community and tools to collaborate and connect.
A large part of engaging in full or part-time, face-to-face, or distance education relies on providing experiences and places to have formal and informal discussions, to exchange tips and knowledge, to work together, etc.
It would be easy to believe that an online community is only created through interactions like "likes" under Facebook posts or on Twitter. Yet, experts know that a group of people, it's maintained. Whether through solicitations or exchange spaces, members must be organized and reminded of what is available to them. Only in these conditions can connections be born, especially in the informal and cold context of digital. Efforts must be constant in order to ignite the social spark that everyone craves.
This belongs to the learnings of the health crisis that took place from 2020 to 2022. Certainly, educational content is essential and ensuring accessibility to resources and courses is necessary. Beyond these aspects, nurturing a sense of community is among the basic needs to encourage students to continue on their journey and to lift them out of the loneliness that can weigh with distance. While covid is behind, these lessons remain paramount in the design of distance courses, MOOCs, and other hybrid training devices.
Photo credit: en.depositphotos.com
References:
Burt, Chris. "Peer Support: How One University and an Online Platform Are Providing Mental Health Help for Students." University Business. Last updated February 12, 2021. https://universitybusiness.com/peer-support-how-one-university-and-an-online-platform-are-providing-mental-health-help-for-students/.
Cho, Moon-Heum, and Scott Tobias. "Should Instructors Require Discussion in Online Courses? Effects of Online Discussion on Community of Inquiry, Learner Time, Satisfaction, and Achievement." ERIC - Education Resources Information Center. Last updated February 2016. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1093637.pdf.
Cuizon, Therese, Trisha Guinita, Dichie Mae Montecalvo Brigoli, and Claire Ann Fabunang Alinsung. "Students` Perceived Preferences on Online Learning." ResearchGate. Last updated December 2021. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356986251_Students_Perceived_Preferences_on_Online_Learning.
Freeland, Julia. "Connection Over Content: A New Era for Education Technology." ALI Social Impact Review. Last updated May 17, 2022. https://www.sir.advancedleadership.harvard.edu/articles/connection-over-content-new-era-for-education-technology.
Morava, Anisa, Anna Sui, Joshua Ahn, Wuyou Sui, and Harry Prapavessis. "Lessons from Zoom-university: Post-secondary Student Consequences and Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Focus Group Study." PLOS. Last updated March 14, 2023. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281438.
Smith, Greg. "How Connection and Community Are Changing Online Learning." Entrepreneur. Last updated July 15, 2022. https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/how-connection-and-community-are-changing-online-learning/429719.
Tang, Clarice, Rosalind Bye, Liz Thyer, Belinda Kenny, Nikki Tulliani, Nicole Peel, Rebecca Gordon, et al. "Impact of Online Learning on Sense of Belonging Among First Year Clinical Health Students During COVID-19: Student and Academic Perspectives." BioMed Central. Last updated February 8, 2023. https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-023-04061-2.
Tinck, Nele, and Eva Wong. "How Can We Increase Part-time Student Engagement in Global Learning Programs?" University Affairs. Last updated September 6, 2022. https://www.universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/global-campus/how-can-we-increase-part-time-student-engagement-in-global-learning-programs/.
Woldeab, Rafael. "The Biggest Drawback to Distance Education According to Teachers." Population Education. Last updated July 6, 2021. https://populationeducation.org/the-biggest-drawback-to-distance-education-according-to-teachers/.
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