Table 1.
Longitudinal Thematic Analysis From Written Reflections Regarding Challenges, Benefits, and Other Experiences With Remote Learning Among Participants (N = 47).
| Thematic word classification |
Representative quotes abstracted from reflections #1-#3 | Reflection #1 (January 2021) n (%)a |
Reflection #2 (February 2021) n (%)b |
Reflection #3 (March 2021) n (%)b |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perceived challenges | ||||
| Poor mental/emotional health impacts | I have less interest in stuff, feeling more fatigued, and in general just struggling to find motivation in day-to-day life. My mental health has taken a hit because of online learning and feeling overwhelmed by work and school. COVID-19 has impacted has continued to impact my learning because continued isolation has greatly impacted my mental health and by extension my ability to stay engaged in my classes and my motivation to keep up. |
37 (78.7) | 38 (80.8) | 31 (66.0) |
| General challenges | The repetitive nature of zoom courses and virtual life has started to become taxing All of this has definitely affected my motivation regarding course content as I struggle to feel excited about learning this information. I also believe this has affected how I talk to other public health students. We are all exhausted from explaining the benefits of mask wearing and vaccines to those in our circles. We have become the public health experts to our friends and family even though we are not even done with our degrees. This makes it challenging to have discussions about anything other than the pandemic or corresponding injustices happening in the United States. |
26 (55.3) | 8 (17.0) | 8 (17.0) |
| Zoom fatigue/anxiety | Zoom fatigue was another major issue I faced. It was difficult for me to maintain a higher level of class engagement over video Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, being online and behind a screen most of the day everyday has made it challenging to focus and be as productive as I normally am. |
18 (38.3) | 17 (36.2) | 13 (27.7) |
| Physical health impacts | It’s also [remote learning] impacted my physical health, making it hard to maintain a healthier lifestyle and level of energy. |
14 (29.7) | 6 (12.8) | 4 (8.5) |
| Lack of interactions | The logistics of learning have also been a challenge, and I think the hardest part is making connections with professors. I find it difficult to make personal connections over online formats such as Zoom and email, and I am worried that this will be detrimental to my eventual career search after graduation, as professors are often great contacts to job opportunities/alumni. Having remote classes this semester has made it much more difficult for me to connect with my professors on a one-on-one basis. I can’t just stop by professors offices for office hours, something I would normally be regularly doing. Instead, every one-on-one with my professors had to be planned ahead of time and typically was more limited in time. The virtual nature of classes has also decreased collaboration and social interaction with my classmates which has taken away from my graduate experience and created more feelings of isolation. This has also had a negative impact on my motivation. |
32 (68.0) | 21 (44.7) | 12 (25.5) |
| Loss of opportunities | It almost seems pointless to search for internships and future opportunities when so much is to be determined. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected my feelings toward learning public health course content because it took away the opportunities for me to have an internship over the summer of 2020 I’ve been so disappointed that internships opportunities have been remote because I’m just tired of sitting in my house. It’s caused me a lot of grief and stress. They [holding two part time jobs] don’t make up for not getting an internship and finding a full-time job has been very difficult but I am still doing my best to make the most of it with the experiences I have. |
23 (48.9) | 7 (14.9) | 7 (14.9) |
| Learning course content | Challenges that arose in my learning from COVID-19 were professors not shifting their content to be engaging for online learning. Logistically, learning has been a bit of a challenge because professors are assigning a lot of group work for final projects, and that is challenging to do in a remote format, but at this point I think I have more or less gotten used to it, and I can just deal with it. |
26 (55.3) | 25 (53.2) | 17 (36.2) |
| Implementing coping mechanisms | I look at my computer all day for class, then continue my homework on my computer, then attend all my meetings also on my computer. It has made me have to better manage my life outside of school to improve my mental health. I go for more walks than I ever have and I also read more than I used to. Some strategies I have implemented include trying to get outside for a walk or run every day, taking breaks from my screen to relax, listen to music and move my body, and taking meetings on my phone so I can walk outside or do something else at the same time instead of sitting at a desk all day. |
16 (34.0) | 7 (14.9) | 7 (14.9) |
| Lack of university support | We are expected to perform at high quality without receiving high quality education and/or much support from the university. I just feel really alone without university support, trying to navigate my program, what classes to take, etc. |
8 (17.0) | 6 (12.8) | 9 (19.2) |
| Perceived benefits | ||||
| Motivated to continue pursuing public health education/career and/or public health opportunities | I have found more ways of how I can be of help during this pandemic and have also been given more job opportunities to do so because of the pandemic. I have two part time positions where I work “full time” in a week. I believe this has impacted my education more than remote learning ever will. I also believe that if it was not for the pandemic, I would not have these two part time positions in the first place because they are COVID-19 related. The COVID-19 pandemic has motivated me as a public health student during my first year of my masters. I have been working full time on the front lines as a grocery store employee while doing my 18+ credits of schooling every semester. I find that as I see and encounter the topics that I am learning in my different classes in several aspects of my daily life be it at work etc., it only motivates me further to learn more about public health. The COVID-19 pandemic has made me even more passionate about public health and has given me a greater appreciation for the field I am going in to. I am grateful to be in an MPH program during this time because I feel like I am obtaining the facts about COVID-19 and understand what is going on in the world. Nonetheless, COVID-19 has definitely increased my desire to enter the Public Health workforce and has also motivated me to acquire/expand my quantitative skills and ability to analyze data by using tools such as GIS and R. |
4 (8.5) | 4 (8.5) | 5 (10.6) |
| Support from faculty, staff, etc. | Fortunately, all professors were open and willing to provide any extra help needed to really understand the course material. However, there have been some positive experiences including great support from staff. They’ve really helped motivate myself and others, giving us tools to navigate the rest of the semester. It’s definitely shifted my perspective a bit on the impact of COVID-19 on my personal life and mental health. This experience has also made me very appreciative of professors and their flexibility in instruction, due dates and type of assignments. I also have less worry about grades as grading has been more lenient and I care much less about letter grades as a result of this experience. |
1 (2.1) | 2 (4.3) | 0 (0) |
| Fostering relationships/networks | Learning during COVID-19 has made me appreciate the opportunity connect with others, sometimes students and instructors; I have recognized the benefits of casual social interactions on developing a professional network. On a positive note, I feel like I have been growing better relationships with my colleagues and professors despite the remote environment. I have been pushing myself to talk more to people and reach out to professors; this has allowed me to have more 1:1 meetings and get to know my professors and peers better. Four out of my five classes include weekly meetings among our working groups. This has been much more helpful for me to make deeper connections with classmates compared to last semester. I feel like people in my program are actually getting to know me as a person, not just as a student, which is important to me. |
1 (2.1) | 2 (4.3) | 0 (0) |
| Benefits of a virtual learning format | However, given the fact that English is not my first language, it has been an advantage to have a recording of every class and have the possibility of watching it again if I didn’t understand something. I enjoy the flexibility remote learning has given me (especially my courses that have been “asynchronous” and I can watch whatever I want) However, I will admit, that it is much less stressful day to day not driving my usual 40 minutes commute each way (and it really saves money on gas). I also have the added benefit of being with my dog pretty much every da Some of the benefits that moving virtual provided was that there was increased flexibility in where I could attend class. It helped cut down on time, since there was no need to travel to SPH. As long as I had internet connection, I could attend class. It opened up many more opportunities to attend various seminars and workshops across the country that I would not have been able to attend. |
7 (14.9) | 2 (4.3) | 5 (10.6) |
| Applicable learning content | I’m loving the content of things I am learning about, and believe they are applicable, especially to the current events happening now. | 0 (0) | 1 (2.1) | 2 (4.3) |
| Unforeseen health benefits | I go for more walks than I ever have and I also read more than I used to. I feel like my leisure time is spent less in front of tv and phone screens because I’m so worn out from my computer screen. This may be a good thing but I can consciously tell that my walks and reading are to keep me sane and not just because I actually want to do those things more than I used to. | 0 (0) | 1 (2.1) | 0 (0) |
a
Participants were asked to reflect on remote learning experiences in the previous 6 months.
b
Participants were asked to reflect on remote learning experiences during the previous month.