Advantages and disadvantages of distance learning

Is there an advantage to distance education in terms of learning?

Yes, there are. Distance learning has two significant advantages. The first is the opportunity to save time on the road to the university and back. For some students, this can be very relevant. The second is the opportunity to watch the lectures on the record if a system for recording lectures is implemented. This increases the chances of reaching the full lecture material.

Is it easier to study/work from home or the office/institution?

This is very individual. It is easier to work and study where it is more comfortable, where the necessary conditions are created, by which you can fully realize yourself and get the necessary information for work or study.

Thus, among the conveniences of learning from home is the absence of roads, that is, saving time and energy that students and employees spend every day to get to the university/auditorium/classroom. It is also an opportunity to plan the mode of study oneself, at some point to pause what is going on, to rest, and to proceed to continue studying the material or work after recuperation.

The convenience of studying in a university and working in an office is the presence of a known external structure in the form of start and end times, work or study place, a planned schedule, and those people who are often called upon to control the process of studying or work. This external structure can act as a fulcrum to support and streamline activities.

Another thing to consider is that we are all very different. And what is a plus for one may be a disadvantage or difficulty for another. For example, a person who likes communication and the presence of other people around will miss the usual atmosphere, therefore, it may be more difficult to listen to the teacher in an online format and absorb the material. And for a person who likes to be alone, who had a hard time accepting lectures held for the whole stream in one classroom, online learning will be easier and may have a positive effect on efficiency and grades. For such students, information about the necessary gadgets and technologies for remote learning or remote work will be useful

What is the main difficulty of distance learning?

Most likely, if you ask different students and/or teachers, each of them will give a different answer.

We see the following difficulties of this format:

• The lack of a formed and proven unified technology for conducting classes remotely, the extremely short timeframe for the introduction of this system of learning (so many encounter both technical and organizational and psychological difficulties in the massive and complete switch to online learning);

• difficulty to switch from the usual "home" mode to "work" mode (many people perceive their home as a place of rest and recreation, as a cozy hole where they can come and do nothing, so it may be difficult for both students and employees to start doing at home what they used to do in other places: study and work)

• the difficulty of equipping a full study/workspace (especially when parents, children, and pets can all gather in the same apartment, and it is very difficult to be alone and not pay attention to what is going on around you, to be involved in listening to lectures and completing work assignments).

What should our students do to avoid "falling out of the learning process" for a long time?

For those who are used to following a strict daily schedule and schedule it will not be difficult to rearrange it in a new way. It will be more difficult for those who were idle about their daily responsibilities. Start by making a schedule for the day and try to follow it. It can be useful to try to observe the usual sleep and wakefulness mode, not to forget about the usual procedures (shower, exercise, breakfast, time to read, etc.). For a student, studying is his job, which he must do daily and on schedule. Become a demanding manager of your life.

Organize your workspace and your seating area. Consider lighting. In the work, the area should not be a deficit of light, but in the area for recreation, take care of a comfortable light. Do not forget to ventilate the room. Consider the priority and secondary tasks. Smartphones and other favorite gadgets should not disturb you while you work. Ask family members to mute the TV behind the wall, postpone vocal lessons, and not have arguments outside the door while you work.

The situation we are all facing now is not ordinary, and it is important to realize that many people will have difficulties of all kinds. The sooner you can understand that, for an indefinite period, the current situation is the only possible reality, the better. Reality has changed, and time and energy must be expended in finding ways to live fully within the new reality. It is also important to keep in touch with classmates and professors, discuss assignments, ask questions, and share difficulties that arise. Being together helps to have an engaged attitude toward learning.

Because difficulties can be very different, so can ways of support. Some of the possible difficulties and ways of support:

Difficulty: not enough regular, human communication not on the topic of class-lectures-homework.

Way to support: find an opportunity to connect with friends-friends-lovers and communicate about yourself, about what's going on (on the phone, through messengers and social networks).

Difficulty: organizing work time and space (you don't want to do anything at home, it is difficult to find a private place), difficulties with discipline, with being on time for class, listening to material and doing homework.

Way of support: try to make plans for the day, note what you have managed to do and thank yourself for what you have done; create clear and fulfilling rituals for yourself to start and finish activities, to distinguish "time for home" and "time for study/work"; talk to relatives, explain the situation and ask for some time during the day not to disturb and disturb you (as much as possible).

Difficulty: being overwhelmed by emotions that prevent you from learning, taking in information, and doing something meaningful (fear, anxiety, anger, despair, irritation).

Way to support yourself: give yourself time to be with your current experiences, acknowledging, if possible, your right to feel what you are feeling. We are all in a situation of uncertainty, we are all rearranging our lives in one way or another, and we may need to live the emotions that arise and give them space before we can act.

If you feel that you're not yet ready to live and feel something, that's okay, too. Our nervous system protects us from unnecessary shocks and helps us cope with stress in the best and most familiar way possible. Find the way that is possible and available to you now.

To give yourself minimal support, you can do the following

• when you feel that you cannot concentrate, take three or four breaths and exhales, then notice the pose you are in, describe the pose for yourself (if you feel like changing your body position during or afterwards, do so);

• Say what you're feeling now (e.g: "I can't concentrate and am terribly angry about it, because I would like to listen to the lecture, but I can't, I don't perceive what is happening" or "I don't want to listen or do anything at all, I feel apathy and pointlessness, I don't understand why we need to study now at all");

• allow yourself to feel what you feel, adding the phrase "I can" or "I can" to what you said before (e.g., "I can get terribly angry because I can't concentrate...")

• take three or four more breaths and exhales, notice again the pose you are in (if you want to change your body position, do it), describe this pose (aloud or to yourself);

• see how you feel afterwards. Try to understand what you would like in this state, how you can still support yourself to engage in the activity.

If you feel that you cannot bear to be with the emerging experiences, ask for support - talk to friends, relatives, parents, consult a psychologist.

Remember that teachers are on call and ready to help with academic issues.

Quarantine

What is the problem with social deprivation - why is it so hard for people to stay home?

It's not easy to answer this question succinctly. You have to understand that we are evolutionarily constructed in such a way that in the absence of fear, it is difficult for a person to limit his behavior for long enough to avoid something. It is possible to understand with the reason that it is not necessary to leave the house, but emotions take their toll: one wants to go for a walk, play sports or meet a friend. The virus is invisible to the eye and therefore does not cause a reaction of fear. Some people still deny the threat of coronavirus (because it is not accessible to their organs). Also, the perception problem may be related to a lack of trust in sources of information.

People find it quite difficult to be at home for a variety of reasons. Some may feel trapped at home as in a cage or a cell, given the introduction of measures for the recommended isolation and strictly regulated occasions to leave the house. The imposition of these rules may be perceived as a restriction of freedom, and it may be forced, which may lead to fear, panic, and anger at not being able to go outside and determine one's routes of movement and actions.

In this situation, it is possible to have the feeling that something is going on around, that someone is making decisions, but that nothing depends on specific people. And this feeling of loss of control can be very depressing and weigh on the psyche. It may also be difficult to be with family and friends all the time, 24-7, often without the opportunity to be alone and take a break from the presence of other people.

The exact opposite situation can also arise: when a person lived alone, but constantly communicated with other people at work, studying, walking, and doing other things. And suddenly he found himself in his apartment in complete solitude without the usual live communication.

Life is, on the one hand, movement, flow, constant change, and, on the other hand, contact, relationships (life is experienced through contact with that which is felt as valuable). In the absence of movement, people feel stagnant; the absence of important contact leads to feelings of loneliness and depressive experiences. People want to get rid of them, and they begin to treat self-isolation less strictly.

And of course, we should not forget about the economic reasons. Some students are forced to work part-time, getting paid for actual work done. Due to the closure of many companies for quarantine, they were left without money and are forced to look for part-time work.

With the threat of coronavirus infection and prolonged self-isolation, anxiety, depression, loss of daily social skills, mania, obsessions, and phobias can also increase. In this case, it is better not to wait, but to seek help to alleviate the emotional state.

Does the perception of the current epidemiological situation differ between adolescents and adults?

It does, but you have to take into account individual characteristics. It's not so much about age, as about awareness, responsibility for themselves, their loved ones, understanding the consequences, which will change the quality of life or make them change their plans for the near future. Many students work and pay their tuition and living expenses. Despite their young age, they carry a heavy burden of responsibility for themselves and their families.

Unfortunately, some have already lost their jobs, some had broken plans for internships in various companies in our country and abroad. There are problems with the pre-graduation internship. Future employment is in question. We have yet to assess the full severity and consequences of being on self-isolation in a difficult epidemiological situation. At the same time, someone is already actively involved in the volunteer movement and does not stand apart from the general distress.

It is also worth bearing in mind that adults are often responsible not only for themselves, but also for their children (including teenagers), their elderly parents, and other family members. Therefore, in their perception, the consequences of the coronavirus are associated more acutely with the expectation of negative socio-economic effects: layoffs, layoffs, reduction in workload and wages, loss of a source of funding in the form of their own small or medium business.

Adults and working people are more likely to think about and encounter these themes-issues-impacts more often than teenagers and students.

Will people's emotional distress be exacerbated by a prolonged quarantine? What social factors will most affect people's feelings?

It's hard to say exactly what will happen to emotional tension. It depends on people, their attitudes, and their actions.

There will probably be those who, after a while, will be able to find a foothold in themselves and in what is happening, and in their lives, the quarantine-emotional wave will reach its peak and go down.

Some people find it hard to be in such an uncertain situation, for whom what is happening is very stressful. And, if they stay in this situation without being able or willing to ask for help or support, it may become more and more difficult for them emotionally and psychologically.

For some, the lack of familiar communication with friends, colleagues, and relatives knocks the ground out from under them, and for some, excessive communication with family members or roommates will become an overwhelming burden and lead to serious conflicts.

How can you deal with the various psychosomatic manifestations of anxiety at home?

Fighting anxiety clearly will not help to become calmer and more stable. The first and important step is to recognize anxiety and your right to be anxious.

The danger and peculiarity of anxiety are that by living it, we are transported either to the past or the future while losing contact with the present and the ability to perform actions adequate to what is happening.

Therefore, if we want to be more resilient and able to manage ourselves, it is important for us, first, to notice and recognize that we have begun to worry, and second, once we have noticed it, to try in various ways to bring ourselves back to reality and the present.

Observe yourself, understand what "worrying" means to you, when, and how you begin to do it. Acknowledge your right to be anxious, you can even thank yourself for wanting to protect yourself as much as possible in this way now.

After you have noticed that you are anxious, that you have partially or completely lost touch with reality, you can stop and try to bring yourself back to the present, to stop creating a stress response in the body, and to wind yourself up even more.

There are many ways to bring yourself back to the present in this way.

The most universal and accessible ones are paying attention to your breathing and body posture, feeling your bearings, and paying attention to your surroundings.

When you notice that you have become anxious and become aware of it, you can shift your attention to your breathing, for example, by telling yourself that you will now do three cycles of breathing. And internally count each breath in and out. Then you can notice what pose you're in, say it to yourself and out loud.

Then pay attention to where your body contacts other surfaces, wherein the body you feel support (in the feet, in the buttocks, in the back).

You can look carefully around, at the place where you are, mentally or aloud naming objects, describing their properties or colors, you can play a game with yourself, for example, find and name all the red objects. You can also take one of the objects in your hands, feel its structure and weight, move it on the floor or roll it in your hands.

And after that, distinguish between what you saw in your fear-image when you were anxious and what is in reality (e.g: "I was scared I was going to get sick and be taken away in an ambulance, but now I am not sick, I am at home, I am following safety precautions, my parents are with me, and I choose to support myself in reality instead of panicking even more").

Once you are back, in reality, feeling "in body," you can look for and find the most appropriate way to calm yourself by reducing the excitatory and disturbing factors, and adding what makes you happy, inspires, and calms you, if you wish.