Effects of eLearning on Students of Saint Joe

Effects of eLearning on Students of Saint Joe

Ethan Fullenkamp, Staff Writer

Saint Joe students returned with eLearning for the first four weeks of school. Mode 3 has caused many students to pick up new habits – some beneficial and some that students are struggling to escape from.

While eLearning is a safe way to learn during our pandemic right now, it also produces negative consequences on students. According to our survey, only 38% of returning students are confident about keeping up with the current workload. The 62% who are not confident may be struggling with bad habits they picked up from eLearning.  45% of Saint Joe students are facing challenges in dealing with time: acknowledging that they either procrastinate, sleep late, or manage their time poorly.  55% of students picked up bad health habits: eating more snacks than they should, skipping meals, or not staying hydrated. 

On the other hand, some students recognize that during the quarantine they gained beneficial habits.  27.9% of students have been able to get more sleep. In addition, other students appreciate having more individual time to work on assignments while still being present in Zoom classes.  Many students enjoy not having to wear khakis everyday.  46.4% of students acknowledge that eLearning has benefited their time-management and organization skills. The majority of students agree that their ability to connect with each other during eLearning has improved from the spring trial of digital learning. 

With the future being unclear, students and teachers will need to continue to improve their ability to excel at online learning as the school is likely to shift between e-learning and in-person instruction.