The Effects of Online Learning on Mental Health of University Students

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on University Students' Mental Health

The effects of Online Learning on Mental Health of University Students2019 is when the world has faced a catastrophic experience brought by the world-renowned virus–COVID-19. The global pandemic COVID-19 that has spread worldwide has caused a massive disruptive daily life of everyone. Not only has the pandemic impacted daily lives, but it also impacted people's mental health and behaviour, especially post secondary students. Around three out of five post-secondary students in Canada and the US revealed that they experienced mental health of at least one emotional wellness condition, including depression, anxiety and eating disorders (https://riwi.com/research/college-and-university-student-mental-health-before-and-during-covid-19-in-the-united-states-and-canada/). According to the research (Barker, Kuzan, and Seeman 2020), 10% more students revealed experiencing mental health conditions in April contrasted and February/March, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to virtual learning for colleges and universities in Canada and the US. One more ascent in those announcing mental health conditions started in July and rose consistently until their information assortment finished in October. A large portion of this increment came from reports of anxiety or depression, the two most common emotional well-being messes among students in this dataset. This paper will explore and examine the widespread effect of the pandemic on students, especially all university students worldwide. 
Lischer et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional study that surveyed university students'  mental health status doing online learning during the pandemic. Five hundred fifty-seven undergraduate students ages 18 to 54 participated in an online survey. They asked the participants to complete the survey that measures anxiety and other variables, including the challenges of online learning and what works well regarding their current challenges in distance learning. They found in this study that the students were reported to be adapting great during lockdown but showed that professors were tested by online learning, which put some pressure on the students. From professors teaching in a study hall setting, students tuning in, taking notes, posing inquiries, and getting those inquiries addressed have been the foundation of traditional academic education. Armstrong-Mensah et al. (2020) reported that students in Georgia state university have 64.5%  indicated that their academic workload increased with online classes. The increased workload comprises new assignments, essay papers, research assignments, and graded practice quizzes. Furthermore, a small percentage (3.4%) of students reported that having difficulty in staying motivated.Mental health issues can altogether hinder students' academic achievement and social interaction, influencing their future careers and personal opportunities. Ojo et al. (2021) researched how has the pandemic has impacted university students' mental health. They surveyed a mix of 1,932 university students who completed the online survey in six weeks. This research found that seven themes or challenges hindered students' ability to learn successfully in an online environment during the pandemic. Undergraduate and full-time students were around twice and four times respectively; postgraduate and part-time students demonstrated issues related to mental health. Those aged somewhere in the range of 18 and 24 were roughly 1.75 times almost certain that students older than 24 presented issues related to mental health. Students reported difficulty using time effectively and distraction. Students battled with the absence of real help from their companions and teachers. They said they could not remain roused and centered without anyone else inside the remote learning space. Insufficient endeavours to perceive and address university students' emotional well-being challenges, particularly during a pandemic, could have long-term results on their well-being and education. In this experiment, I am interested in the effects of academic burnout and the mental health of university students doing online learning amidst the pandemic. The experimental group was a group of students that were given a lighter workload and exposed to peer support groups. Participants in the control group were given more workload (projects, assignments due, essay papers and exams); moreover, they were not exposed to peer support groups. The independent variable is the peer support groups and workloads given to the students, and the dependent variable is students' symptoms of psychological disorders such as academic burnout and anxiety measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Student Survey (MBISS). I predict that the students who were given more workload and have not been exposed to peer support groups have the highest score in having mental health and have academic burnout.