Digging deeper: Investigating the emotional impact of online learning on university students during COVID19 in Greece
Thomaï Alexiou & Theologia Michalopoulou

The paper investigates the emotional impact online learning had on university students during the Covid-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a quantitative research was conducted in which 83 university students answered a questionnaire. The results indicated that, although the students feel confident with their technological skills and the support they have received in online learning and trust their professors, they are not satisfied with this kind of instruction. Dissatisfaction is associated with long hours spent attending online classes. Students who had not been used to face-to-face instruction prior to the pandemic are more overwhelmed by their professors’ expectations in online learning as opposed to their peers who had some familiarization with the latter. A connection was found between stress and deteriorated academic performance, while the participants reported struggling to balance their personal and university life and feeling frustrated that they cannot see their classmates due to turned-off cameras. This led to feelings of loneliness, which was associated with low motivation. Anxiety, exam- and workload-related stress, isolation, and compromised mental health were among the recurring issues. Nevertheless, bonding with the professors and enjoying the flexibility of online learning were highlighted, while the study gave voice to socially anxious students who embraced online learning.The paper investigates the emotional impact online learning had on university students during the Covid-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a quantitative research was conducted in which 83 university students answered a questionnaire. The results indicated that, although the students feel confident with their technological skills and the support they have received in online learning and trust their professors, they are not satisfied with this kind of instruction. Dissatisfaction is associated with long hours spent attending online classes. Students who had not been used to face-to-face instruction prior to the pandemic are more overwhelmed by their professors’ expectations in online learning as opposed to their peers who had some familiarization with the latter. A connection was found between stress and deteriorated academic performance, while the participants reported struggling to balance their personal and university life and feeling frustrated that they cannot see their classmates due to turned-off cameras. This led to feelings of loneliness, which was associated with low motivation. Anxiety, exam- and workload-related stress, isolation, and compromised mental health were among the recurring issues. Nevertheless, bonding with the professors and enjoying the flexibility of online learning were highlighted, while the study gave voice to socially anxious students who embraced online learning.

Key words: online learning, COVID19, university students, emotional impact