By Isaiah Bowling
High School Running Start Program, IUPUI
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most, if not all of us college students have had to suddenly switch from our normal campus routine to 100% online learning from home. I did not realize the significance this change would have on my education. In order to help me and many of my fellow students, IUPUI provided us with a webpage of information, Keep Learning, filled with lots of tips for how to handle online learning during this pandemic.
Even with the resources, this sudden change has been difficult for many of us to adapt to and has brought about many challenges for us to have to suddenly work through. One major issue we now have to face as college students in this new learning environment is distractions we would not otherwise have if we were following our normal campus routine. Facing these distractions is challenging and potentially stressful for many of us. However, there are ways to eliminate or lessen these distractions in order to have a better at-home learning experience.
Nearly all of us of face distractions on a daily basis regardless of the COVID pandemic, but now certain distractions are much more prevalent due to being at home. Obviously, the situation is not ideal, and COVID-19 has made education difficult for us all. According to PBS News Hour, “Online education experts say there’s a big difference between classes that were designed to be digital from the beginning and what’s happening now, which they describe as a product more of panic than planning.”
Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that our current education situation will come with many difficulties.
The Family
One distraction that I find much more prevalent as a result of being quarantined at home is dealing with my family members. These include my mother asking me if I am ready to eat lunch, my little sister asking to borrow my headphones, or my older brother showing me a funny meme he found. With a total of 7 people living in my house, the opportunities for being distracted by a family member are vast. Plus, my older brother and I share a room, so finding a quiet place to study can prove to be a challenge, and although I did not live on campus, I was able to find quiet places to study on campus, such as the University Library. Many of my online classes have now transitioned to using Zoom video calls for class sessions which sometimes require to me to be on microphone, and for me to find a quiet place. The distractions family members might cause can pose a significant problem for us students who are still trying our hardest to succeed in our college classes.
One thing we can do, according to IU’s Keep Learning, to help manage your environment is to “schedule specific times in your day to dedicate to studying or participating in your online class.” Then you can inform your family exactly what times you need to be left alone for studying. This should help to minimize interruptions from your family members during this pandemic.
The News
Another distraction that I have found to be much more of an issue now in the face of this COVID-19 pandemic is the news. The news about the coronavirus crisis has caused me a lot of anxiety and stress, which can be a big problem when I am trying to focus on studying. I often feel as if I have to be checking the news to get the latest information. To help eliminate the news as a distraction while studying, the American Psychology Association says to set limits on how much media we consume. One way to do that is to turn off notifications for your news apps and check the news for a predetermined amount of time during the day.
Technology and Entertainment
A third major distraction that I battle more than before is technology. Since I now do all my learning online it is much easier to become distracted by almost anything online. Whether it’s watching a Netflix show or playing Minecraft, there are several methods of entertainment that distract me.
Technology in general is a huge distraction to us college students, so the distraction now is even greater. In spite of this glaring problem there are a couple things we can do to not be as distracted by technology. One thing you can do is to “Consider using the ‘Do Not Disturb’ function on your devices when you are trying to minimize distractions.” Another way to eliminate technology as a distraction is to do the same thing suggested by IU earlier and create a schedule for yourself. Creating a schedule will allow you to set aside time specifically for studying and a time for whatever else you want to do. It is unlikely that you will be able to completely eliminate technology as a distraction but following these tips will help you minimize it being a major distraction.
Overall, eliminating and minimizing the distractions we face because of the coronavirus pandemic will be one of the biggest challenges to successful online studying. However, it is very important to keep a positive outlook on your educational journey. This may be a big bump in the road for a lot of us, but if we adapt as best as we are able, we will be able to successfully continue our learning.
It is crucial that we all focus on our mental and physical health during this pandemic in order to do our part to help get things back to normal.
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