Introduction
COVID-19 can be defined as a disease caused by the coronavirus, which spreads between people in close contact and affects the respiratory system of the affected individual. Traditional learning is also called face-to-face learning, and it includes the students attending the classroom, engaging directly with the teachers and interacting physically with peers. High institutions refer to institutions of higher learning, such as universities, colleges, polytechnics, and professional schools, that prepare students in different fields. The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the education sector, disrupting the progress of learners worldwide. For a long time, institutions of higher learning have been tested in terms of their readiness to respond to change and their capacity to provide quality education in the changing world. Since this generation had not previously witnessed this occurrence, there were uncertainties concerning how to deal with the scenario and the massive challenges that it would pose. The introduction of new measures such as social distancing indicated that things would only be expected in some spheres of life, especially in the education sector in Chicago. It became critical for higher education institutions to ensure that teaching, learning, and research continue. These educational institutions could not afford to shut down for prolonged periods because this could disrupt learning immensely.
Institutions of higher learning had no option but to concede defeat concerning the disruption that was brought about by the pandemic. The situation affected the operations of these institutions and had dire consequences on many students’ academic progress. The sudden closure of these institutions revealed an unanticipated reliance on technology and the different challenges faced by these organizations in implementing new technologies. It showed that institutions of higher learning needed to pay close attention to how to respond effectively to such occurrences to ensure continuity in education. It became critical that higher learning communities reflect on their vision and mission to ensure that student learning outcomes and standards are not compromised and that structures of continuity are created. The students of higher learning institutions faced considerable challenges in adapting to the use of technology away from the traditional learning setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. During COVID-19, 46% of university students transitioned to online learning. The colleges and universities were able to enrol nearly 1.1 million students. During this time, 82% of the college students reported that they found college learning more challenging, and 50% felt that they missed social interaction during these classes. During this time, there was a 3-6% decrease in the completion of higher education courses reported among the students, and this was because of the shift from physical to virtual learning. This provides a breakdown of the challenges and complexities faced in implementing virtual education, away from traditional education during COVID-19.
The Negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Traditional learning in High institutions in Chicago.
Disruption of In-Person Learning.
The COVID-19 pandemic single-handedly disrupted in-person learning, and this is because all public places were shut down, and all forms of social interaction were banned. The pandemic shocked the educational system, and this was a significant setback for students from all walks of life in Chicago. During the pandemic, 95% of the student population in Chicago was affected by institutional closure. It led to a significant slowdown in learning progress, mainly due to the transition to virtual learning (Xing and Saghaian 5). The pandemic’s consequences on the students’ out-of-school learning environment compounded the effect of limited face-to-face instruction. The situation also affected the physical and mental health of many of the students. The movement was restricted during this period, impacting the students’ social life, which also plays a critical role in academic progress (Koh and Daniel 8). The interruption of in-person instruction in high institutions in Chicago limited the opportunities for the students to learn and caused disengagement in schools, leading to more student dropouts. Many institutions have implemented measures for continued schooling, but these arrangements vary in effectiveness, affecting students according to their social circumstances (Xing and Saghaian 11). During this time, enrollment in many institutions continued to drop sharply, and many schools could not continue in-person learning. Additionally, these declines varied substantially according to grade, race and the poverty levels of the students. In the short term, the pandemic led to unprecedented disruptions because of the shift to remote learning. It is essential to consider that Chicago is a large and diverse state, and the high education population consists of white students, Hispanics, Latinos, Asians, blacks, and Native Americans.
White students make up 30% of the student population, Hispanics or Latinos make up 26% of the population, blacks make up 8% of the student population, Asians make up 19% of the population, and native americans make up 2% of the population. The minority populations faced considerable challenges in the continuity of education due to the lack of resources or financial capacities during this period. (Xing and Saghaian 12). During the COVID-19 period, many learning institutions in Chicago faced dramatic decreases in enrollment. It is also essential to consider that the pandemic impacted students due to non-academic challenges. These challenges impacted the coursework of the students as well as the graduation outcomes of a large number of them. During this period, the disruption led to a situation where many students received grades that did not earn them credit compared to the previous years. (Xing and Saghaian 12).A large number of students received an F grade, no credit or an incomplete grade. Additionally, many students also had less frequent live contact with the teachers, which also affected the quality of education received. Due to the disruptions, many students needed to catch up to the regular grade levels, which proved a considerable variation from previous situations. The students from lower-income backgrounds had a more significant increase in failure and dropout rates, and this revealed that the pandemic had an uneven impact and affected low-income students significantly. Evidently, the COVID-19 pandemic was a massive setback for learning and profoundly impacted the students.
Closure of campuses and classrooms.
The onset of the pandemic led to the unprecedented closure of campuses and classrooms all over Chicago and also globally. This occurrence harmed the student population. The closure of learning institutions meant the students had to transfer their learning activities to the home setting. It is essential to understand that many of the students had to go back to their families or home settings, and this meant that they were exposed to many distractions (Xia et al. 4). The domestic setting is generally noisier, and this means that it had detrimental impacts on the learners’ concentrations and their ability to participate in discussions and perform academically. Many of the college students also reported a preference for studying at the campus libraries due to low noise levels and fewer distractions. The students also experienced increased responsibilities and functions in the home setting because of their domestic responsibilities. An example of this is sibling caregiving, where these students were responsible for taking care of their younger siblings (Xia et al. 5). Other students were designated house chores such as cooking and cleaning, meaning there was less time to study (Telli 3). It is also important to note that more students involve themselves in college campuses’ social and academic settings, giving them a productive mindset regarding graduation and college attendance.
The COVID period meant that the students became displaced and lost access to valuable resources that would help them in the academic setting. Such resources include student organizations, informal tutoring, peer study groups, and access to consistent internet access and accommodation. The closure of these educational institutions affected many of the students and led to delayed graduation due to campus closure. Many students also experienced a lack of supportive resources from the home setting and difficulty communicating with the professors during the closure of campuses. (Xia et al. 6). These environmental barriers considerably impacted students’ success in high institutions. Apart from this, many of the college students had increased symptoms of anxiety and acute traumatic stress during the crisis. Sahu (2020) explains the potential impact of the closure of universities due to COVID-19, especially on the mental health of the students and the academic staff. The sudden turn of events led to a sense of uncertainty and anxiety, and it caused massive stress among the university fraternity. The stress led to unfavourable effects on the learning as well as the psychological health of the students. Students became worried about their health, safety and education, and there were huge concerns about the future. It was heightened by the uncertainty about the continuity of education and how to adapt to the new changes caused by the pandemic. These disruptions had massive mental impacts on students, negatively affecting their performance. Most students experienced difficulty in academics, including understanding the course content and studying for exams during this period. (Xia et al. 9). It is also critical to understand that the structured responses to the pandemic were rapid, and the students had a few day’s notice. The disruptions meant that the students had no access to the different techniques and styles in the in-person classrooms, and it was challenging to translate this to the online setting. The professors also had little time to transition their in-person courses to the online setting, significantly impacting student learning.
Shift to Remote Learning.
During COVID-19, all high education institutions experienced difficult times as in-person learning was halted. The transition to remote learning posed enormous challenges for teachers across institutions in Chicago. The university professors were expected to transition to online learning to reach their student audience immediately. The shift alone was a significant challenge to educators because many had yet to embrace remote teaching (Tientcheu and Lambert 6). One significant reality that faced the learners and their instructors is the huge distractions in the home setting. The students faced major infrastructure and home environment challenges. Some of these challenges included noisy home environments, tight study spaces, disruptions of family duties, and technical challenges such as power outages and unsteady internet connection. It is also essential to consider that the students had to deal with changes in relationships due to virtual learning. (Tientcheu and Lambert 7). This is because online learning lacks the physical presence of face to face interaction between students and their educators. It changed how the students collaborated with others in the learning journey. The students also experienced limitations in their interactions with their tutors because these instructors needed to provide them with remote care and timely feedback on their academic performance. Due to this, there was an increased dissatisfaction among the students who believed they were no longer getting quality education.
It is critical to understand that the majority of students are social learners who long for interaction with their peers and instructors, can be easily distracted, and pay less attention to the content of online classes. It also means that students in this setting experienced increased difficulty maintaining self-discipline (Telli et al. 265). A large number of the students also confessed to facing challenges in online learning. One of these is the lack of technical skills, and many learners were unfamiliar with the online systems and lacked confidence; the students also experienced poor internet connection and the fear of privacy exposure since they were in the home setting and did not want their homes to be seen. Low learning motivation was another huge challenge facing the learners, and this was because many of them felt that the traditional learning setting was better overall (Telli et al. 266). Virtual learning posed considerable challenges to the students’ access to assistance, especially when they required immediate responses from their peers or instructors. Collaboration between the learners also decreased significantly during this period, impacting the student learning outcomes. Most college students wanted more than online learning during the pandemic. Issues such as low engagement in online learning and the challenge concerning the effectiveness of online learning were faced.
Low skills in the use of technology and low learning motivation were enormous challenges, resulting in low engagement of the students. Many of the students were reluctant to issues such as turning on voice and video, and there was also the challenge of unfamiliarity with virtual conferencing platforms such as Zoom (Salta et al. 99). Evidently, the majority of students found it challenging to adapt to virtual education during the COVID pandemic, and this affected the quality of education that they received. It meant that they could not access quality education and favoured the traditional setting, which was more interactive. It indicates the significant disruption to education caused by the pandemic and its tremendous impact on students’ learning outcomes in high institutions. It is critical to note that many high institutions needed help to successfully improve their remote learning infrastructures during the pandemic (Koh and Daniel 9). It caused considerable gaps in the student’s educational progress and led to poorer outcomes, such as lower attendance and higher dropout rates. Online education was integrated rapidly, so the situation needed to be better planned (Salta et al. 104). The instructors needed more time to prepare and adapt to the online learning setting while preparing their content on time. Several colleges and universities still need to improve their online learning environments to support this kind of experience. The teacher-student isolation was high, and the teachers and students felt left out. There was also a lack of sufficient pedagogical approaches to keep the students motivated and engaged during this long period of online learning. These significant challenges proved detrimental to the student’s progress and hampered educational progress in the learning sphere.
Lack of Flexibility in a Learning Environment.
Another major issue experienced by students during COVID-19 is the need for more flexibility in the learning environment. It is critical to understand that learning flexibility and environment impacted student learning during the pandemic. In the online learning environment, it is critical to consider that the learners and their instructors were separated, mainly due to differences in time and space (Sahu 3). The issue of personal space was a significant issue to consider. Learning is a process that occurs through personal growth and the direction of the learner towards an educational goal. It is focused on the formation of identity and the emergence of autonomy. Many learning institutions launched virtual studies, impacting the quality of education. The lack of one-on-one attention was another critical issue impacting flexibility in the learning environment during this period. The instructors found it increasingly challenging to give each student personal attention (Sahu 5). It meant that some of the students became withdrawn and failed to request personal attention, which impacted their educational achievement. Using a uniform teaching approach was another issue of concern that impacted the level of flexibility in the online learning process during the pandemic. Many instructors automatically assumed that one teaching approach would work for all, which was detrimental to learning. The instructors needed help understanding that using a personalized teaching experience is critical for positive outcomes. It meant that many students could not receive a quality education.
Yet another aspect impacting flexibility was using monotonous study material in student learning. The shift to online learning meant that the practical aspect of learning needed to be recovered. It meant there needed to be more innovation and creativity in the classroom, and many sessions needed more engagement and excitement. The monotony meant that many students became disengaged and needed help to realize positive learning outcomes by integrating virtual learning during the COVID period. Another aspect that impacted the lack of flexibility in the student learning environment was poor time management in virtual learning. The use of virtual learning provides the students with the ability to choose their preferred time of study. Tientcheu et al. (2021) explain that many students found time management a considerable challenge in online classes during the pandemic. When the students are at home, they experience multiple distractions, making time management difficult. Because of this, it became difficult for many students to manage their time effectively. Nesamalar et al. (2022) reveal that many students found managing their time during online learning in the COVID era challenging. The students experienced a massive change in the learning environment, which was transformed because the home setting became the main learning space. Students also had the challenge of being more independent in the learning process without any physical presence or direct supervision (Maatuk et al. 24). Students also faced the challenge of learning and familiarizing themselves with technical gadgets, online learning processes and learning materials, which was a massive challenge for many of the students. Additionally, the transfer to the domestic setting meant that many of the students became engaged in other engagements, such as domestic responsibilities. Overall, this had a negative impact since the students needed help to manage their timetables properly. It resulted in students missing their lessons and falling behind in progress, which affected many students’ grades.
iii. Conclusion
The occurrence of COVID-19 led to the interruption of everyday life routines, especially with the calls for the avoidance of all social spaces for fear of the spread of the disease. Therefore, there were calls to close all public spaces, such as churches and schools. Learning in higher institutions in Chicago was hugely impacted by the occurrence of COVID-19. With the calls for social isolation, in-person learning was affected in a significant way. Many college students needed to catch up on their curriculum and could not continue learning. The disadvantaged students in these institutions bore the largest brunt of these significant changes. It is essential to consider that physical attendance in educational institutions is a critical element of the success of many students, something that was severely affected by the pandemic. Many students need more educational resources at home, and physical learning disrupts their educational progress.
Additionally, many home environments could be more conducive to learning, which means that many students could not continue learning in ways they preferred. Another impact of the pandemic was the closure of campuses and classrooms. This means most students were denied access to and continuity in their learning. Students were expected to go back to their homes and continue learning from there. It made the situation more difficult for many learners, mainly due to many of the restraining home environments that the students were accustomed to. The shift to remote learning posed a significant challenge for learners during the pandemic. Many students needed more technical resources to access virtual education. Furthermore, there are many unanticipated challenges faced by students, something which was also experienced in the introduction of virtual education during the pandemic. The need for more flexibility in the learning environment was another issue experienced, especially since many students faced difficulties adapting to the online learning environment. Poor technical knowledge, domestic disruptions, and lack of engagement in the virtual learning environment were the causes of this. The COVID-19 period posed tremendous challenges for students of Chicagos’s higher learning institutions, and it is because of the shift from traditional to online learning. It is critical to find ways of improving the transition to online learning for higher education students, as this will improve the overall educational outcomes of this student population.
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