6 Reasons Why You’re Struggling with Online Learning

Whether you’ve been forced to learn virtually due to the pandemic or you’ve chosen to try it because you’ve always dreamt of going to school in the comfort of your room, with your cat snoozing away in your lap, you’ve likely experienced online learning. Due to the ease of conducting and sharing online courses, this technology-dependent method of learning is becoming increasingly prevalent. However, it’s not for everyone. In fact, you might find it difficult to absorb knowledge or to enjoy the learning experience as much as you would in a regular, in-person class. Your concentration may falter, you become frustrated, and you start to question if e-learning is even worth it. Here are 6 reasons why you’re struggling with online learning.

1. Lack of Social Engagement

If you ask college students what their favorite part of school is, chances are, many would answer the same: the people. This is understandable; after all, humans are social animals. With online learning, the social aspects that often exist within learning environments are gone. Whether you hang out with your friends after finishing a hard test or experience immense satisfaction after completing a successful collaborative team project, many socially rewarding situations that motivate learning can no longer occur, due to the virtual barrier. Moreover, It’s a lot more difficult to contact your educator if the class is taught online, especially if it’s pre-recorded content. You might pose questions regarding the topic. However, don’t expect them to be answered soon, if at all. The convenience of catching a teacher in the hallway and having your inquiry be answered on the spot is simply unbeatable. Without adequate social engagement, it’s easy to feel lonely and stressed, especially with the piles of homework and looming deadlines.

2. You’re Scared to Speak Up

Raising your hand in a class filled with students can be daunting. It’s human’s natural tendency to portray their best self in front of others. “What if my question is unnecessary?” “Maybe I should just ask the teacher later on my own.” “Would my questions bore everyone?” Thoughts like these often occur in a learning environment and being online, where you must virtually “raise your hand” and speak into the microphone, directly into everyone’s ears, just doesn’t help. Moreover, video conferences are often recorded for reviewing or training purposes. Similar to the Hawthorne Effect, where humans change their behavior in response to being watched, knowing that your words will be recorded only makes you more nervous. Fearful of making permanent mistakes, you may decide to stay quiet and disregard your valuable questions altogether. For those who had to switch to Zoom conferences from regular school, you probably have witnessed your teacher hopelessly talk to a bunch of black screens and muted microphones. Here, the purpose of collaborative learning is completely defeated, and you may find yourself struggling to keep up with the fast-paced content.

3. It’s Inconvenient

It might seem counterintuitive, but the convenience of waking up, brushing your teeth, and rolling into an engaging and educational class immediately may not be so convenient after all. One of the greatest struggles of e-learning involves technological issues. Have you ever encountered WIFI inconsistencies during class? What about prolonged pauses as the teacher fumbles to unmute themselves? In pre-recorded classes, flash player errors, sound quality issues, and intelligible font colors are some of the many technical problems that may prevent you from focusing. Your brain will likely prioritize solving these immediate technical issues over actually absorbing content.

4. Lack of Self-Motivation

When it comes to online learning, you are pretty much your one and only accountability partner. As technical issues, overdue assignments, and tests pile up, you may start to entertain the idea of giving up. Many e-learners find it extremely difficult to tackle academic challenges on their own. Without others to share the struggles with, maintaining a positive attitude and open mindset may seem like the only method of overcoming hardships, which is often easier said than done. Maintaining motivation comes with practice, and it’s normal to feel discouraged when dealing with problems independently.

5. You Feel Exhausted

Humans have internal body clocks, known as the circadian rhythm, which dictates their pattern of sleep or wakefulness. There is a reason why you may consistently feel alert in the morning and gradually become drowsy in the evening or vice versa. Although it varies from person to person, excitatory neurotransmitters usually decrease around 3 pm, which can lead to fatigue and lack of motivation. Whether it’s Zoom meetings, Facetiming, or pre-recorded classes, online content can be taught during strange times in order to accommodate time zone differences. Additionally, electronic screens, especially the blue light that emits from them, may cause eye strains and prevent prolonged concentration. In fact, “Zoom fatigue” is an increasingly prevalent term that points out the evident mental drainage from video calls. We’re still adapting to the era of e-learning; absorbing information strictly from videos is simply not the same as learning in-person.

6. Distractions, Distractions, Distractions

Let’s be completely honest here: who has ever scrolled through their phone during class, in an attempt to combat boredom? I’m sure most, if not all of us have done so at least once; and if you haven’t, you have some serious self-discipline. Without in-person supervision, it’s even easier to get distracted by your technological devices. The human attention span is short, and coupled with the comfort of your own room, with your fridge and TV a couple of steps away from you, online learning can be seen as a recipe for distraction disaster. One key solution is to move yourself to a productive, non-distracting environment when studying. Even then, you may zone out and seek novel ways (i.e opening another tab on your laptop) to fight boredom.

Conclusion + Tips

Whether it’s the lack of social engagement, inconveniency, or constant feeling of exhaustion, online learning may not be suitable for everyone. Luckily, there are various scientifically researched methods to combat “Zoom fatigue” and to make online learning more enjoyable.

• Avoid multitasking: diverting your attention to various tasks at once can negatively affect your memory. Similar to the saying “quality over quantity,” try focusing on one task at a time. Your unopened email can wait, so can your unchecked text message, and so can your unfed, whimpering dog (just kidding, definitely prioritize the needs of your dog.)

• Take frequent mini breaks: not only does your brain need to rest, but your eyes are always begging for a break after prolonged screen time. Although it may feel tempting to stay at your laptop for hours in order to accomplish a certain objective (i.e finishing up a project, watching many lessons in a row), remember to get up and move around once in a while. Also, don’t feel guilty for turning your camera off during large video conferences. The social pressures of unmuted mics and being observed through a screen can be very mentally draining. But don’t keep them off the entire time, every time; consider how the teacher feels too.

• Practice time management: although the freedom of creating your own schedule during online learning may sound appealing, don’t overlook the importance of prioritization and completing tasks in a timely manner. Start a weekly schedule with either a physical or electronic calendar. Create a to-do list that you promise yourself to follow every day. Set reminders on your phone for tasks so your brain has space to carry more content-based information.

The new era of online learning can seem daunting. Know that you’re on the right track, especially since you’re currently reading this article! At the end of the day, just remember that you’re not in this alone.

Works Cited

8 Strategies for Getting the Most out of an Online Class. (2020, July 15). Retrieved from https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-taking-online-classes/

Clark, Ted. (2003, January). Disadvantages of collaborative online discussion and the advantages of sociability, fun and cliques for online learning. In Proceedings of the 3.1 and 3.3 working groups conference on International federation for information processing: ICT and the teacher of the future-Volume 23 (pp. 23-25).

Big Questions Ep. 14: Tufts University. (2017, November 05). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzY22Axx_ew

Big Questions Ep. 30: Cornell. (2018, June 07). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbexvSJ6ea8

How to Combat Zoom Fatigue. (2020, August 14). Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2020/04/how-to-combat-zoom-fatigue

Kumar, S. (2020, April 23). 5 Common Problems Faced By Students In eLearning And How To Overcome Them. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/5-common-problems-faced-by-students-in-elearning-overcome

Yang, Genevieve. Rice, Timothy. (2020, Sept 25). Virtual Learning Is Difficult. But Is It Too Much to Handle? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/psychoanalysis-unplugged/202009/virtual-learning-is-difficult-is-it-too-much-handle