Almost every student in the school has done some type of schoolwork online. In today’s age of technology, it has become increasingly common for teachers and students to turn to online platforms to post homework, lessons and instruction. While this is convenient for students, it is slowly disintegrating human connection and poses a risk for students overall attention and motivation.
At face value, online school sounds like an easier option compared with showing up to class. As reported by the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2022, 58% of two-year college students took at least one distance learning course and 31% took classes through only distance learning. Distance learning also provides a flexible schedule for students who work or have little to no transportation.
Online classes are prevalent with Post-Secondary Enrollment, a program where high school students are able to enroll in college and receive transferable college credit. Then again, this can be traced back to students not wanting to drive to college or do not have transportation resources to do so. Another contributing factor to an increase of online classes is the assumption that these classes are easier and require less effort than traditional schooling.
A study done at the University of Southern Mississippi and American University revealed that students in face-to-face classes overall do better in comparison to doing school online.”I have seen more success in in-person classes than online, it does not set them up for success the way a teacher would,” counselor Kris Mullins said.
When students are at home and online, they are more likely to be disengaged and distracted. Elevating the risk of falling behind on schoolwork. In fact, it was seen during the pandemic with what researchers call the “COVID Slide,” where there was a visible drop in grades during the pandemic and online learning. More than 11.3% of the student population in the state of Texas did not complete schoolwork, resulting in 1 in 10 students being disengaged with the material.
Students who are at home are more prone to distractions due to environmental factors like family, technology and additional factors. Online teachers have less oversight on assignments and attendance compared to normal classes, causing students to fall behind and perform worse overall.
“A lot of times, you don’t even know what you’re missing,” Mullins explained. “I have found that when attendance starts to decrease, the motivation goes down with it, because you’re not in class, you’re not engaging with your teacher, not engaging with your peers, and that motivation is kind of like I’ve seen it just fall off cliff 100%,” she added.
Detached student behavior is not solely attributable to the effects of COVID-19; students who take classes online post-pandemic still struggle with turning in assignments. “The biggest challenge I’ve faced with online learning is keeping up with the class and staying on top of everything,” senior Isabella Vandemmeltraadt said. “I don’t think [attendance matters in online classes], because a lot of it, like your teacher can just see that you logged on, so people could literally just log on and then log back off.”
Even with the increase in popularity of remote learning, human connection is a vital component for students to be successful. Without in person teachers, students are unmotivated and struggle to stay engaged. While online school is an excellent option for students in need of more flexibility, Attendance does matter when it comes to learning and it can make or break someone’s school experience.
