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College Preparedness: Recovering from the Pandemic
Suzanne Shaffer
Living in the internet era means we’re bombarded all day (and night) long with news and notifications. Parents text their kids when they want them to come downstairs for dinner. Phones ping with weather and traffic updates or social media posts at all hours.
Many of us can remember a less connected way of life — but not today’s college generation. Gen Z doesn't know another lifestyle; they are one with their screens.
Now, with some amount of online/remote learning having become a regular part of our students' ordinary lives because of the continuing pandemic, students may need to take a step back and consider if how they engage with technology is having a negative impact on their health and studies.
Digital devices are both essential to learning and a continuous source of interruption. Here’s how to help your student deal with digital distractions now and into the future when we are able to return to a more normal life.
Like most mammals, humans are an incredibly social species. Chatting with friends, and interacting pleasantly with strangers, triggers positive emotions.
But as we attach ourselves continuously to phones, tablets and laptops, even as we “interact” with others, we’re often missing out on in-person connections.
Still, it's hard to stop, especially for teens. If their friends are posting continuously online, they don't want to miss it. Smartphone users touch their devices more than 2,600 times each day!
As social interactions continue to move online, it can be increasingly challenging to manage real-life relationships and responsibilities. This includes school. With phone in hand, students can't fully focus on what’s in front of them — including when they're in class.
Digitally distracted students may cut study sessions short and neglect assignments. They take longer to complete tasks because their focus is fragmented. When personal gadgets are present in the classroom, students score half a letter grade lower than usual.
Taking classes online, students’ temptation to pursue other digital activities will only increase. Teachers and administrators can't nip this issue in the bud when students are being required right now to use digital platforms as their classrooms, resource centers and assessment tools. Only the students themselves — perhaps with parental help — can address the issue by developing self-discipline.
Most teens and college students today find it natural to attempt multiple tasks at once. But how can you compose an email, proofread an essay, text a friend, browse YouTube and take notes at the same time?
You can't — at least, not effectively. It's impossible to do so without making an error, taking extra total time or putting in a subpar performance on each task.
When a person attempts to absorb new information while playing a smartphone game, their IQ starts to decline almost immediately. Whether your student is multitasking while attending an online class or doing homework, it's likely to negatively impact their retention and the quality of the work they produce.
Digital multitasking also affects mood and sleep cycles. With so much to do and so many distractions, students often become stressed and exhausted. When they don't sleep well, their ability to prepare for tests and complete projects suffers.
Sometimes it's difficult to tell there's a problem. After all, we're all technology users and even tech-dependent to some degree! Here are a few ways to identify if your student has an issue with digital distraction:
If any of this sounds familiar, your student may be spending too much time on nonessential digital activities and need help achieving digital balance in their life.
First and foremost, it's important to remember that you're not responsible for your student's academic record. Their performance depends on how much they want to succeed. They're adults, setting their own goals and making their own decisions.
However, they may need guidance to stay — or get back on — the right path. Here's how you can help.
Setting timers is a simple way to prevent excessive smartphone use. Every day when your student sits down to complete online coursework, they should put away their phone and focus on school. Encourage them to set a timer while they’re studying or install a plugin that prevents them from accessing email or social media sites.
Even with your student back at home to complete their semester online, it’s not your job to provide constant supervision. It's up to them to implement good habits, but you can still make this a topic of discussion. Talk about accountability and why it's so important to remain engaged and dedicated, even if their classes look a little nontraditional right now. They’re not home to take a break — they’re still responsible for finishing the semester and completing all their coursework.
Especially if they have their laptops connected to social media accounts and text strands, push notifications contribute to digital distraction. Suggest to your student that they silence these alerts when they're online to watch lectures or complete coursework so that they can be completely present while learning.
Schools typically offer a wide variety of support resources, and writing and tutoring centers will still be staffed even though consultations will have to take place virtually. If your student is having trouble focusing or struggling with the material in a class, urge them to contact their professor or advisor and ask for guidance. This is a challenging time for everyone, but your high school teachers and college faculty and staff are still available and truly want students to be successful.
We can't expect our children to avoid distraction all the time. Instead, we can aim for a balance. Try to work with your student to establish boundaries. For example, agree on times when their smartphones and social accounts will be off or unreachable while they work on their online classes, and try to limit the amount of study breaks they take when “school” is in session.
Digital distractions affect all of us. But because they haven’t known anything else, younger generations struggle the most with productivity, performance and distinguishing what really deserves their full attention from what push notifications tell them is important.
There are always going to be challenges and frustrations with online courses but your student can still be successful, and the new skills they're learning will also help them focus more effectively in their in-person classes.
