The digital campus has become a cornerstone of today's higher education landscape. Post pandemic online learning offers unparalleled flexibility, opening doors for students who might otherwise never have the chance to earn a degree.
But while we celebrate the accessibility of online learning, we often overlook the unique and significant challenges faced by these students beyond ‘technical difficulties’.
For many universities, the focus has been on the technology of delivery and pedagogy of online teaching, not the student experience. As a result, a silent crisis is brewing.
Online learners are struggling with complex challenges, here we take a look at 5 common challenges for online students, and how we can help students overcome them.
Online students often feel isolated
Unlike their on campus peers who have built-in communities, online students often feel a profound sense of isolation. They log in to a course, complete their work, and log off.
There are no chance encounters in the hallway, no study sessions in the library, and no quick coffee chats. This social isolation can lead to disengagement, questioning their college experience and a feeling of being an outsider, making it difficult to find motivation and persist in their studies.
How can universities support isolated students?
Without the dedicated physical spaces for connections, it can be complex to support students feeling isolated.
Ultimately, fostering a culture of inclusivity, listening to student feedback and investing in staff development opportunities for online education is pivotal for ensuring both online and on campus students feel a sense of belonging.
The missing peer network of online students
Peer relationships are a vital part of the college experience. They provide a support system for academic challenges, a sounding board for new ideas, and a source of friendship.
Online students often lack this crucial peer-to-peer connection. They may feel like strangers to their classmates, making group projects awkward and informal support networks non-existent.
Even with regular online sessions there isn’t the unscheduled time (such as before or after lectures start) to get to know each other. Without a strong network, they lose a key resource for academic and personal growth.
How can higher education professionals create opportunities for peer to peer connections?
Providing access to virtual communities for cohorts, such as circle or discord, and regular online social events can help foster the missing sense of connection with peers.
Encouraging conversations through breakout rooms, discussion time in lectures can allow students to develop relationships with both classmates and teaching staff. Creating the unscheduled time before and after lectures that in person students experience is understandably difficult online, one option to explore could be providing more informal ‘getting to know each other’ sessions at the start of the semester.
Presentation challenges of online students
Speaking in class can be intimidating for anyone, but for online students, it can be a heightened source of intense anxiety.
The pressure of presenting over video, often in front of a grid of silent faces or a single webcam, can be overwhelming to say the least.
This presentation anxiety isn’t just about public speaking; it’s about navigating a new medium where every verbal and non-verbal cue is scrutinized.
Although presenting virtually is an invaluable skill for post university life, it can cause students to shy away from participation, missing out on valuable learning opportunities.
How can universities support online presentation skills?
Institutions know that online presentation skills are invaluable transferable skills. Just as on campus students have opportunities to build these skills through drop in sessions or extra curricular classes, creating time for online students to build skills specific to their learning environment is crucial. Ensuring online students have the same access to skills sessions and support in a virtual setting, and allowing for feedback after presentation sessions can help build student confidence.
Online students often lack virtual academic preparedness
Many online students, especially those returning to school after a long break, may lack the academic preparedness needed for success in a virtual environment.
Essential academic skills such as note taking are different online. They may struggle with the self-discipline required for asynchronous learning, or be unfamiliar with the digital tools and academic research methods expected of them.
Plus, the lack of academic preparedness felt by in person students is still very much present, such as study techniques or critical writing skills, adding to preparation anxiety.
Without guidance and support, from the beginning, it’s clear how online students can quickly fall behind, feel disengaged and lack perseverance.
How to support online students with academic preparedness
As with presentation skills, it’s unrealistic to assume all students arrive at university with the same background and preparation. Committing to a positive first year experience is undeniably essential for all types of students, levelling the playing field so that all first year students feel confident from the get go.
For online students, this may look different, such as running flexible drop-in sessions at the beginning of the semester, regular mentor meetings, or offering hybrid first year skills events for students able to attend in person. Creating an inclusive, supportive environment, where students know how to ask for help and are confident they will be supported is vital.
Balancing online learning with other commitments
Students who choose distance learning courses are often more likely to be part of what we call ‘The New Majority’.
They may be working professionals, parents, or returning students who are balancing coursework and online lectures with a host of other significant life commitments.
This constant juggling act can lead to burnout and a feeling that they are not truly succeeding in any area of their life. This is the reality for the "New Majority" learner, a demographic that now makes up the majority of higher education students.
How can institutions help the diverse new majority of students?
Supporting the New Majority Learner isn’t limited to online students. With the rise of the diverse student body we’re seeing today, it should be fundamental that higher education staff are aware of the range of challenges and circumstances experienced by students.
A success first model ensures that all students, regardless of needs or circumstance, have the tools they need to thrive in higher education and beyond. Whether online or on campus, a success first model pivots the focus from a transactional delivery of services to centering on the student's holistic development.
