SPEECH ( ONLINE LEARNING LEADS TO STRESSFUL STUDENTS )
A very good morning, i bid to the members of the floor. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Nurul Natasha Afiqah bt Mohamad Zamri. I would like to show my greatest gratitude to the organizer for inviting me to give a talk today. Next, my topic would be on online learning leads to stressful students. Before i go further, let me share a brief introduction. COVID-19 has been declared on 11 March 2020, as a global pandemic. One main objective that has been launched by most governments around the world, is to control this highly infectious virus by imposing general lockdowns, social distancing procedures, converting traditional education to distance education, and other procedures. Since the coronavirus disease 2019 was declared a global pandemic, governments have taken various precautions measures to prevent the spread of the disease. As a result, almost all public and private institutions in the world have stopped their activities. . In April 2020, after the closure of the campus, students were ordered to return home and continue their studies through online learning. The transition toward online learning has been a difficult one for students all across the world, and this struggle has manifested itself in many different ways in students.
One of the most common causes for students failing to complete online courses is a lack of self-motivation. For many, the new format for their classes has left them with a lack of motivation that may affect their academic performance throughout the term. This effect can have many roots, with some describing a lack of structure with online learning in comparison to their traditional classroom. Some have also felt the impact of not only a change in location but a schedule as well. Numerous variables in typical classrooms constantly push students toward their learning objectives. Face-to-face communication with professors, peer-to-peer activities, and stringent time management all work together to keep students on track during their studies. While the decreasing motivation has already made keeping up with academic work more difficult, students have often described their workload as increasing after transitioning toward online learning. The desire for all teachers to be assigning enough work to their students to understand a material has resulted in a bombardment of time-consuming tasks that some have found to be unnecessary busywork. But quite possibly the largest reason students have struggled to stay on top of their school work during this change, is just how big of a shift the quarantine has been from their daily lives, and how it has affected them mentally. In many circumstances, students are left to their own devices during their educational pursuits, with no one constantly encouraging them to achieve their goals. So, in order to excel in an online learning environment, you must develop strong self-motivation and discipline abilities. Firstly, talk about future goals to help them stay motivated. Understand you why. Sometimes it's not so much the what or the how that matters, but your why the purpose behind what you're doing. Being clear about what you're working for can give you the stimulus to stay on course. Define your goal. Defined goals put your ideas into action mode. It's the vital step between planning and doing.
Create a clear vision. If you want to succeed, you must create a clear compelling vision, something that you can relate to and resonate with. If it doesn't speak to your heart, it won't motivate you to stay on target. Create the highest grandest vision possible, because you can achieve only what you see.
Moreover, adaptability struggle. Switching from traditional classroom and face to face instructor training to computer-based training in a virtual classroom makes the learning experience entirely different for students. Their resistance to change doesn’t allow them to adapt to the online learning environment, whereas it takes time for them to get accustomed to the methods of computer-based education. While passive listening and notes taking are expected in a traditional classroom, online discussions or creating a web page demand springing into action. Students with a “traditional” mindset find it difficult to adapt. However, they need to accept the new learning circumstances with an open mind and heart. Understanding the benefits of eLearning and even discussing them with their peers may change this mindset and better prepare students for online classes.
Next, time management. Time management is a difficult task for eLearners, as online courses require a lot of time and intensive work. Furthermore, whereas it is mostly adults who prefer web-based learning programs for their place and time flexibility, they rarely have the time to take the courses due to their various everyday commitments. A regular schedule planner would be a significant help to these learners, as they could even set reminders for their courses and assignments. Time is a finite resource. Balancing responsibilities at your home and school is not easy. No matter what, you’re always left with the same 24 hours in a day to check items off to-do lists, spend time with family and friends, and unwind. By planning ahead and using your time wisely, you’ll be able to accomplish more and enjoy added free time. Some tips that you can follow is plan your to do list everyday. Identify what you need to do, and then prioritize the tasks based on when the assignment is due and how much time you need to complete it. This gives you a set plan for the day. Whether it’s just a list of priorities or a full schedule for the day, having a plan will ensure that you know what to do and when. Next, choose small task to start first. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by large projects and big exams, and the anxiety can make you want to procrastinate. Start with shorter, simpler to-do items and then move on to larger projects or assignments. Moreover, only do one thing at a time. A University of London study showed that those who multitask see a drop in their IQ similar to someone who didn’t sleep the night before. If you’re trying to juggle multiple assignments and tasks, you’ll likely end up being less productive. Turn off any devices that you can. And no matter what, don’t switch to another task until the one before it is complete. This may be a hard habit to break, but it’s worth it. Lastly, take time off. It’s important to take time for yourself. Long study sessions or chunks of time working on assignments should be broken up with time away from screens or textbooks. You need to give your mind a rest.
Futhermore, lack of interaction. During online lectures, it’s hard to keep students engaged without a teacher’s physical presence and face-to-face contact. Moreover, a key concern is connected to science labs (physics, chemistry, etc.), impossible to put into practice without in-person instructions and courses relying mostly on hands-on work. There are many ways to engage students during the online lessons: PowerPoint presentations, short videos, quizzes, on-the-go recordings, gamification, bite-size learning… Ensuring constant contact: tracking the progress and giving feedback is another step to keeping each student engaged. Referring to science labs, students may use scientific modeling and simulation applications to gain practical experience. Besides, maybe the time has come for us to review the classic relations between teachers and students, approaching a “fair trade-off”: the first have knowledge of the subject to share, the second can make the most of gadgets. Why not seek the support of your students? Sincere interest in what students are doing engages them even more than any interactive teaching strategy. If you feel demotivated in study online learning because of lack of interaction, you can find ways on how to overcome it such as use multiple communication tools. You’re not alone in wanting to increase and enhance student engagement and interaction. For example, schools can create a program-wide social network that allows students to continue their relationships with other students from course to course. Within this private social network, the administrators and support staff can use direct messages, announcements, and live events to enhance student engagement in the program. Next, get creative with discussion platfowm such as webex, google meet or discord. You can study together with your friend or even can discuss about the assignment on these platform so you can interact with others and feel more fun to study.
Lastly, distraction everywhere. Distractions are a reality of online learning, a delivery or a pet running into the home office can be disruptive for everyone involved, if you’re in the middle of a virtual classroom session. As a result of these distractions – and possibly having additional responsibilities – time management becomes more challenging. Having a time management system is perhaps the most difficult challenge for students to overcome because it depends entirely on self-motivation. Students need to be serious about their education, learn how to manage time and set their daily schedule, and learn to study despite the constant distractions. The solution: Try to think about building a schedule – figuring out when you’re going to do what you’re going to do and then sharing that with the other people in your house. Also, try to identify a quiet time and place to complete your coursework, if possible – even if that time is late at night. If you get distracted by social media or browsing the internet, use tools to block out these while you’re online learning and other time-wasters when you need to focus on school. Also creating a to-do list for the week or each day with what you need to get done can help you determine the best times of day to tackle each task.
To conclude, students need to cope with strategies that are practical and applicable during online sessions so they can decrease the risk of psychological distress and preserve health and well-being. Also the learning will be more fun.