Thanks for your question. It has been a while since someone submitted one here. You are the first of the Fall semester! Welcome. My first response is: don’t drop out before seeking some support. You have time to catch up, learn the online ropes, and see if some new strategies will improve things for you before the deadline to withdraw. If it is really not working at that point, it is sometimes the wisest thing to drop some or all of your classes. But for now, please read on…

Specific advice about what to if a student is having difficulty with online classes would require more understanding about what is going on. The challenges are common but also varied: low motivation, procrastination, reduced learning because you are not able to discuss course content as much, feeling lonely and disconnected, and anxiety, perhaps because of the uncertainty of online academic performance, are some examples. As well, personal challenges that are otherwise manageable, can be magnified because of the social isolation, increased screen time, disruption of routines, or the inability to do some of the things that supported our well-being because of COVID-19 restrictions. So I hope the general advice below will be helpful.

MRU has established some great resources to support students’ success during these strange times. I’ll begin with Student Learning Services. Our colleagues there have designed workshops that speak to common challenges of online learning. If a student’s stress is about their academic performance because their learning is suffering in the online learning environment, then a workshop or an appointment with a learning strategist is the way to go.

At Student Counselling Services we are booking video and telephone appointments instead of seeing students in person. Notwithstanding some technical glitches here and there, sessions online seem to stand up to some of the research on this: It can be just as effective. Many students don’t need a personal session. So we have other ways students can access the resources we offer. Here is a sampling:

Attend a webinar workshop to learn about managing stress, addressing procrastination and low motivation, engaging in personal discovery to support career decisions, and managing anxiety and worry. In all of these, the counsellor can speak to the stresses related to online learning and social isolation. Please check out our calendar.

You could also attend one of the following online groups to get regular support and have a sense of community. Check out the descriptions online:

Indigenous Women’s Group

Global Wellness Community

Pride Centre: Wellness Wind Down

A-Team for high functioning students on the Autism Spectrum

Student Support Webinars (every 2 weeks on Fridays)

SMILE support group: Students with Mental Illness in the Learning Environment

As well, if students are wondering if a mental health appointment with a doctor might be the right step, or they want information about accessing a psychiatrist or off-campus services appropriate for their concerns, Health Services has a mental health nurse who can provide information in a virtual appointment.

Finally, a student who is unsure of where to seek help can self-refer to the Office of Student Success for early support. Someone will contact you, get some idea of what you are going through, and help you find the right resource. There are many others at MRU ready to lend support!

I hope this is a good start to exploring options.

Sincerely,

Mirjam Knapik, Ph.D., R. Psych.

Wellness Services: Student Counselling Services