Coping with the pandemic

First and second-year students at Ontario Tech University from the faculties of Health Science, Science, and Engineering participated in a survey created on Google Forms. The link to this survey was sent to the Engineering, Health Science, and Biological Science WhatsApp groups, where they were all informed that their answers would be recorded and used in the making of this article. The purpose of this quiz was to see how everyone is doing during these tough times. 

When students were asked if the pandemic had a negative, positive, or negative and positive effect on them,

60% of the students selected positive and negative, 40% selected negative and 0% had selected positively.

This shows that our students are enjoying some aspects that came with the pandemic but not all. Then they were asked if the pandemic had them feeling more stressed than usual.

88% agreed to feeling more stressed after the pandemic had started and 12% felt that the pandemic did not contribute or did not make them more stressed. 

58% of Ontario Tech students prefer synchronous lectures while the remaining 42% miss their in-person lectures and 0 students were a fan of asynchronous lectures.

The students who preferred synchronous lectures like the fact that they can log on to class without the hassle of waking up early, getting ready, and commuting to campus. The rest of the individuals miss in-person learning because of the teacher to student connection and some find that it’s easier to focus.

Although some students enjoy receiving their lectures synchronously, many do miss the in-person lectures. In my opinion, in-person lectures were much better because they were more engaging and easier to focus in. 

Students were asked about what they are doing to cope with stress, and many of them are spending quality time with their families. The majority of the students are finding new hobbies to cope with stress, such as listening to music, cooking, and self-care activities, for example, working out; even after being under a lot of stress, students shared their thoughts of what other students under stress should do. 

The participants of this survey quiz gave some suggestions on coping with stress, such as taking time for yourself and incorporating breaks when needed. They had also mentioned distracting yourself from what causes you stress with something that gives you happiness and joy. It was also mentioned that it is important to listen to your body and not overwork yourself. They spoke about the advantages of synchronous learning and how you can work from the comfort of your own home. This saves time by not commuting to campus every day, and you can utilize that time to do something that makes you happy and relaxed. During these times, we all need to remember that nothing lasts forever, and one day or another, this will get better and we will slowly shift over to our “normal” lives.