The Impact of Online Learning on Mental Health

The Covid-19 pandemic that has struck many parts of the world has had an extraordinary impact, especially on education. Since the pandemic arrived, people have been required to reduce activities outside the home, let alone work, or what is termed “Work From Home” (WFH). As a result, teaching and learning activities for school pupils and university students have been carried out online, often called "daring". 

Online learning is intended to prevent and reduce the spread of Covid-19, which increases every day. Online lectures are the implementation of learning in higher education carried out remotely through platforms or media connected to a network. In these online lectures it is of course important to use various platforms. Platforms often used by lecturers and students are Zoom, Google Meet, Google Classroom, e-learning, and so on. 

Online lectures naturally have both positive and negative impacts. The positive impacts of online learning are as follows: first, of course, having more time to complete the assignments given by lecturers. During online lectures, students are of course given more assignments by lecturers than in offline lectures. Most of the assignments given are also individual assignments because it is rather difficult for students to do group assignments during a pandemic like this. 

With online lectures, students have more time to complete assignments; second, there is no need to come to campus. With online learning, students of course do not need to come to campus. All lecture activities are carried out at home; third, saving expenses. 

If students study offline, they must plan for expenses, both for transportation and for meals. Heavy expenses are strongly felt by students who study away from their home city. Of course, they must also think about spending on accommodation; fourth, it can be done anywhere and anytime. During online lectures, all lecture activities are carried out through social networks. Students only need to attend lectures through a platform and do not need to go to campus. This gives students the opportunity to keep attending lectures even if they are busy or away from home. 

As for the negative impacts of online learning, first, it is difficult to understand the material. This is the main problem for students. Because of the limitations of learning, students' understanding is also limited. Added to this are outside distractions. For example, if a student is attending a lesson and receives a notification from another application, the student's concentration will be split. This is what causes students' lack of concentration and difficulty understanding the material.

Second, it is difficult to communicate with friends. We all surely agree that communication is easier when done by meeting in person, face to face. With the long distance between one student and another, it will be difficult for them to communicate with each other. Difficulty in communication is felt even more when students work in groups. Students find it harder to exchange opinions and do group assignments because sometimes some students have network problems, which makes it difficult for them to discuss.

Third, there are more assignments. Students are required to be critical, responsible, mature, independent, and high-achieving, and to complete their assignments well, with the purpose of these assignments being to find out the extent of the students' competence or ability in the academic field. However, the assignments given by lecturers during online lectures have become more numerous and the deadlines tend to be short. This makes it difficult for students to manage their time and leaves them confused about which assignment to do first. This is the main cause of students' deteriorating mental health.

When faced with too many assignments, together with limited friendships, the assignments being done will feel heavy. If this happens continuously, it will cause depression without being realised. Not only depression, but doing assignments also results in a disrupted sleep schedule or can cause insomnia. After a person experiences insomnia, they will feel excessive anxiety. Basically, this is a trigger for declining mental health.

To overcome this, students should always think positively about various things. However, sometimes students cannot know whether what they have gone through today will affect their mental state in the future or not. Some students can withstand being under pressure, but others cannot, so it has an impact on their mental state. Students have their own efforts to deal with their mental problems. 

Some of the efforts students make to deal with their mental problems are being relaxed about everything they go through, cheering themselves up, talking to the people closest to them, and so on. But students who have serious mental disorders will prefer to see a psychologist or psychiatrist. These methods are positive ways that a student can use to overcome their own mental problems. However, there are also students who always keep their problems to themselves. This approach is actually not recommended, but it comes back to the fact that every student surely has their own efforts to overcome their mental problems in different ways. 

The most important thing students must do to face mental problems during online lectures is to control themselves, tame their emotions, make maximum effort to manage negative feelings, and divert all negative aspects by pursuing hobbies that can be done and trying to change their mindset. It will be futile to make various efforts to overcome mental problems without accompanying them with emotional control.