Part IV: Student Support Systems in the Post-Pandemic Environment

CHLOE 9 REPORT RESPONSE (Part four of a four-part series)

By Robyn Hammontree

In our previous commentary on the findings from the latest installment of the Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE) report, CHLOE 9: Strategy Shift: Institutions Respond to Sustained Online Demand, we discussed the idea that many schools are missing an opportunity to promote the quality of their online learning programs. Today, we’re looking at one of the specific components that define “quality”: understanding and responding to the unique needs of remote learners.

Even before the pandemic lockdown forced almost all education to become temporarily virtual, it was clear that online learning was on the rise. While on the surface it initially seemed as simple as popping cameras into lecture halls and making content available online, it quickly became evident that asynchronous education was new territory to explore with its own opportunities and challenges.

A student body operating fully or largely in a remote environment has needs similar to and yet also quite distinct from those of traditional, entirely on-campus populations. Academic support, community building, administrative/financial counseling, and career development/placement are common to both audiences but must be delivered and made available to online students in new ways. In addition, online students require robust technical support and, as the aftermath of the pandemic made clear, a new approach to meeting the growing need for wellness programs, specifically mental health support.

Before further examining these needs and how they are addressed, it is encouraging to point out that CHLOE 9 did reveal that institutions are actively working to understand the unique and evolving needs of online learners. Roughly ¾ of respondents reported that their institution collects feedback directly from students (78%) and faculty (72%), as well as fielding student surveys (77%). In addition, half of chief online learning officers (COLOs) surveyed said their schools utilize teaching evaluations and learning analytics, while some also reported using qualitative studies, such as focus groups.

Which leads us to ask, what have they learned and what are they doing about it?

The chart below summarizes CHLOE 9 findings on the state of various student support programs that are or should be enhanced to meet online students’ needs. Not surprisingly, the most fully-developed services are those that were immediately needed as a result of the practically overnight transition to remote learning: library services, academic advising, tutoring, and accessibility (tech) support.

But, as the CHLOE 9 commentary points out, “… holistic support for the whole student is still lagging, especially regarding social and community support.” Just 23% of COLOs surveyed reported fully-developed mental health support systems for online students; only 8% claimed similar attention to mentoring programs; and a mere 5% felt that adequate support is being given to Social/Community/Extracurricular Clubs for online learners.

While we can optimistically view these areas as an opportunity, perhaps the more appropriate term is obligation. Institutions are to be congratulated for their efforts to-date, but they remain focused primarily on the educational and administrative components of the college experience. What remains largely under-supported are ways to address the social and emotional challenges faced by youth mired in social media which were only exacerbated by the forced isolation of the pandemic lockdown.

While specific mental healthcare access for students is critical and must be addressed, we know that engagement is a key factor in driving community and mental well-being. So, how do institutions fill in these gaps? Here are four ways schools can become more focused on student engagement and wellbeing:

• Integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) elements – Simply put, SEL is the process of acquiring interpersonal and emotional skills such as empathy, cooperation, conflict resolution, self-awareness, and self-control. Numerous resources are available to guide incorporation of SEL tenets into online curricula. 
• Increase accessibility to non-clinical counseling resources – As legitimate threats to young people’s emotional wellbeing have increased, and the progressive destigmatization of mental health has made seeking help more acceptable, a trip to a counselor’s office is routinely students’ first step toward seeking help. The result, unfortunately, is an unprecedented increase in demand for these services, resulting in less personalized engagement for students and accelerated burnout for counselors. Supplementing traditional counseling with ideas such as virtual wellness rooms, anonymous helplines, peer mentorships, and embedding support staff can broaden the accessibility of these needed services. 
• Foster connections – Rachel L. Koch, assistant director of training at the University of Richmond’s counseling center, recognizes that making friends in the first year of college is always an adjustment. But, she says, post-pandemic, students have demonstrated a concerning lack of social skills. “Everybody has AirPods in, hats on, not making eye contact. They’re really trying to hide themselves. And then they come into my office and wonder why they feel so lonely and haven’t made connections.” While it may seem counterintuitive, the reality is that “social” media has systematically broken down students’ relationship-building skills. Now, universities must discover how to put the “social” component back into remote interaction by using collaborative online tools to promote student interaction and build online communities focused on learning and shared interests.
•  Accommodate when appropriate – As always, schools must be prepared and equipped to support students dealing with personal challenges such as grief, financial hardship, food/housing insecurity, family illness, etc. Contemporary students are also grappling with previously discussed factors contributing to loneliness and disengagement. In this environment of real and perceived challenges, institutions, disability offices, and instructors must walk a fine line between what is and is not a reasonable and necessary accommodation. For example, college administrators and clinicians have identified a rise in accommodations to address anxiety. In fact, one private liberal-arts college reported that about 60% of classroom accommodations are for mental-health issues, including anxiety as well as attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other neurodiverse diagnoses.  

There is some good news, however. According to data from the latest iteration of the Healthy Minds study – the largest study of college student mental well-being in the country – the percentage of U.S. college students who displayed depressive symptoms in the past year has started to decline. Rising from 20% in 2015 to a peak of 44% in 2022, the numbers have dropped each of the past two years: 41% in 2023 and 38% in 2024. The study also showed 2-year decreases in the rate of eating disorders, non-suicidal self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Granted, the declines are small and still leave staggering numbers of students battling these issues, but the findings offer a reason for optimism about the future.Many challenges accompany the growth of online learning, some relatively easy to address, others far more complex. In addition to making sure that basic support systems – technical, academic, administrative – are in place, institutions must commit to exploring and understanding the unique generational shifts that are impacting students’ success and overall wellbeing on a personal level. Or, as the CHLOE 9 report puts it, “Supporting online learners’ unique needs is vital to online quality and strategy—especially if the institutional mission and strategy include a ‘students first’ approach.”