Transitioning to online learning was not the simplest task for many students, and even more, for those who had never engaged in online education before. Although more than a year has passed since most schools and universities were forced to fully change their modality to online and many are more comfortable with the idea of online education, it is still something relatively new for the majority of students and can deeply impact the way they perform in school or university. Institutions are now starting to open their doors again either in a fully physical modality or a hybrid one, nonetheless, online learning is here to stay, and the pandemic was just a catalyst that sped up our jump into the world of online education and everything that comes with it.

How was Motivation in Students Affected?

Comligo ran a survey with the participation of 44 students from ages 14-16 in the 2020-2021 academic year, when most schools transitioned to an online or hybrid model due to the pandemic. It was sent to the students enrolled in the language course Spanish as a Second Language. The students were able to submit their responses anonymously in an electronic format, via a smartphone, tablet, or a computer and at a time convenient for them. Anonymous surveys via Google Forms were sent to students in order to collect unbiased responses.The responses helped to get a better sense of students’ thoughts about the transition to online learning during COVID-19.

The results of the survey show that students´ motivation was affected during the lockdowns as a result of the disruption in educational activities. After analysing the answers, some of the identified factors with a negative impact on the motivation were:

1. Teacher’s role. Students stated that the teacher was not always available to answer questions during lessons, and some of the instructions were not very clear or explained properly.

2. Lack of personal contact. One of the major issues for students was not being able to be with their classmates, feeling lonely at home.

3. Lack of structure. Students complained about lessons not being organized and about the workload of the course, as it took time for teachers to figure out the number of assignments and homework to give. Personal disorganization was also a factor.

4. Technical issues. Some students experienced some technical problems during the lessons. They could not hear the teacher properly and they found it difficult to have conversations or ask questions because of the large number of people in the same online sesion.

5. Home environment issues. Students found being at home very distracting and had difficulties focusing on the lessons. Not all of them had a personal space to use, having to share the room sometimes with other family members.

6. Teaching approaches. Students found some lessons boring that were just recorded videos. Students did not feel included in the lessons because of a lack of oral activities and not having opportunities to have class discussions.

How Can Students Improve Their Own Online Learning experience?

As a student who has never partaken in online education before, it might be frustrating to change so drastically. Here are a few of the tips Comligo has come up with after the investigation:

- Communication with teachers:

Students should try to keep in touch with their teachers as much as possible, let them know what is working for them in their lessons, and what is not in a respectful manner. Having a clear communication with their teachers will affirm to them that they are being heard. It will make them more comfortable to ask more questions and participate in class. Teachers also appreciate interest in their class.

- Students should have a proper environment to take classes and do their homework:

This can be tricky when everyone in the house is studying or working from home, however, to some extent students should try to have different spaces to attend their classes and work to those meant to relax or have leisure time in. In Brian Robben’s article Never do Homework in Bed: 3 Reasons Why, he mentions the importance of separating these spaces and highlights that not doing so can lead to one not being able to do either: relax or concentrate.

- Routines

Having a routine where one feels the need to stick to the plan will give the student more sense of responsibility and will also make them feel productive during the day so they can properly rest at night.

- Keeping in touch with their classmates

Whether students have some type of team project or not, communicating with their classmates is important to let them know that they are not undergoing this transition on their own. Discussing with their classmates some topics seen in the lessons will help students have an enriched knowledge of the subject that will for sure make their experience better.

- Relax

It is okay to feel stressed sometimes, and it is certainly normal to get frustrated when working under circumstances that are not the ones the student is used to. Students must be patient and not be so hard on themselves, overcoming these feelings will let them see and experience all of the advantages the online learning modality has, and they will make the most out of it.