As we move further away from the coronavirus pandemic and the world continues to return toward some form of normalcy, the same is not necessarily true for education. With the system being altered tremendously by the pandemic, students and teachers have had to adapt to a completely virtual learning experience. This meant taking online classes, learning about assignments through Blackboard and performing nearly all schoolwork in front of a computer. 

Now, more than a year out from USC’s full return to campus, the effects of online learning are still being felt. Teachers continue to assign asynchronous work, students are still mentally recovering from the two years of isolation, and the use of online programs — like Blackboard — is much higher than it was pre-pandemic. All of this makes for an education system that can feel overwhelming, confusing and, for some, unmotivating. 

Looking back at our time in online classes, research into its effects on higher education identified several reasons which explain why the psychological needs of students weren’t being met. Among these were perceptions of a higher workload, greater pressure to complete assignments and meet deadlines, unclear guidance and trouble communicating with peers; A 2020 Strada Education survey from the beginning of the pandemic found that roughly one third of students reported that their ability to learn was significantly worse online. 

And while USC classes have since returned to being in-person, the effects of this transition on both students and teachers alike continue to linger; classes are being taught with a greater emphasis on online work, with the concept of blended learning becoming more prevalent post-pandemic. This type of learning attempts to balance online and in-person teaching, however, the problems above prevail, and striking the right balance has proven difficult. 

Beyond this, there is also greater ambiguity surrounding assignment submission and the effects of two years in isolation has translated to students being less prepared for a classroom setting. This, in conjunction with opportunities to attend classes virtually, can perpetuate unintended consequences on student motivation. Online learning has been proven to weaken student engagement, and giving students the choice to attend online classes even when the class is in person has had a similar effect.  

One of the biggest issues for USC, though, is a lack of consistency with respect to the online work that students are expected to complete. There isn’t a standard method of teaching each class, which makes balancing assignments difficult; some classes assign asynchronous work through Blackboard, while others utilize email, Google Drive or third-party websites for submissions. Others still require assignments to be submitted in person. This ambiguity makes for a confusing and disorganized system.

For students hoping to traverse this — and stay up to date on their work and assignment submission methods — the specific expectations are often found inside a 20-page syllabus on Blackboard. Even with a standard course load of three or four classes, keeping track of all your assignments and where to submit them can feel overwhelming.

In the past, these problems were partially curbed through student-classroom relationships, which provided a community to help students stay up to date on their work and find help when they fell behind. But returning from a time marked by anonymity and an absence of social presence, aforementioned reports indicate that this educational safety net is sorely lacking. Social anxiety among students is especially high post-pandemic, making it difficult for many to develop the social relationships necessary for them to thrive.

It’s much harder to text a friend a question about homework or ask what assignments are due when you don’t know anyone in the classroom; based on data from after the pandemic, this problem is especially common right now. When students are unable to rely on help from their peers, this puts more pressure on educators to provide this support — when they cannot, students end up falling behind.

Looking to the future, it’s unlikely that blended learning will end, especially with USC introducing their replacement to Blackboard, D2L or Brightspace, next year. Nor is it clear whether or not the extrication of digital learning would actually be helpful to students. Instead, USC should work to make submission processes standard across the school and improve their online tools to better organize assignments, emphasizing ones that have due dates coming up. They should also provide more support to professors in transitioning to Brightspace to ensure its introduction goes smoothly. Finally, they should integrate communities within Blackboard and D2L where students can ask questions and find study groups. Doing this will help to ensure that all students can succeed in a post-pandemic world.