Abstract
With the aim of appraising the impact of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic on college students, an online survey was conducted in December 2020 on a total of 588 undergraduate students at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. The purpose of the study was to probe into the perceptions of college students regarding their learning process and its influence on their mental health with the abrupt transition from face-to-face classes to ERT in the Spring 2020 semester. A comprehensive analysis was performed using structural equation modeling and other statistical techniques to reveal crucial results associated with the factors that have an effect on the students’ psychological distress, such as quality of courses, academic performance, and readiness for future work or studies. Findings suggest that the students’ perceived quality of courses under ERT has a significant impact on their academic performance and readiness for future work or studies. Moreover, they indicate that these factors serve as a vital mediating role in provoking psychological distress among the students. The study also shows that gender, previous history of anxiety/distress, education being at risk due to financial issues caused by COVID-19, and year of study significantly affect the students’ distress levels. In order to ensure and prioritize the well-being of college students during these turbulent times, new strategies are urgently needed to develop and enhance resilient ERT environments in higher education. The study concludes with limitations and suggestions for further research.
Highlights
Unforeseen calamities could turn people’s life upside down and make them feel helpless, distressed, and paralyzed
A higher median of the K10 psychological distress scores was found significant for college students whose education was at risk due to financial issues caused by COVID-19
This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the most significant learning constructs impacted by the transition to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) in college students within the UAE and its subsequent influence on their mental health
Summary
Unforeseen calamities could turn people’s life upside down and make them feel helpless, distressed, and paralyzed An example of this is the Coronavirus pandemic known as COVID-19. It started in the last quarter of the year 2019; it is a severe respiratory syndrome that has taken the whole world by storm. In Italy, a study of mental health during the lockdown suggested that the pandemic is associated with great levels of psychological distress that could meet the threshold for clinical relevance [6]. These issues possess the potential for inducing long-term effects.
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