Key challenges students face while studying online psychology degree
While pursuing a degree in psychology online provides convenience and
accessibility, there are challenges involved that can affect the educational experience.
This knowledge about these hurdles will be helpful for students at the time of their
higher studies. This paper will demonstrate the three key challenges students face in
online psychology degree.
Online programs are flexible but require great self-discipline and time-
management skills. Besides several reasons like money, place, flexibility, online
learning also enables people to work and study at the same time. After work, people
have family time, relaxing activities and after, study the designated online program
before the day comes to the end. Also, in the absence of traditional classroom
structures, students need to take the initiative in planning when to study and exact
deadlines. It is not easy to combine academic obligations with personal and
professional ones, which can lead to procrastination and low academic achievement.
One crucial obstacle learners face is not having face-to-face interaction.
Traditional classroom settings help to have unplanned conversations and receive
instant responses which are hard to come by in the online courses. This gap sometimes
can affect the acquisition of communication skills and interpreting of non-verbal cues,
which are crucial in psychology practice. Moreover, the virtual lack of direct interaction
also means that there will be no possibility of forming professional connections; this is
an essential part in career development within such a profession (Garip et al., 2020).
Psychology is the field in which students need to have practical lessons,
experiments and sometimes role plays to investigate related situations. Having an
online classroom prevents students from taking advantage of these worthy
experiences. Although many programs have adjusted by partnering with local mental
health providers or offering teletherapy training, these opportunities are not always
available and may thereby limit practical exposure needed for the development of skills
(American Psychological Association, 2021).
One of the main difficulties students fronted in online education is using
technology-based platforms. Every online education center has its own IT department
and uses a series of applications and designs for delivering the course materials,
lectures and seminars. Also, using different online platforms and tools requires a
certain level of digital literacy, which some students may not possess; consequently,
their academic performance is affected (Yeh & Tsai, 2022).
Despite its limitations, an online learning approach to a psychology degree has
greatly increased access to the information people need in their particular
circumstances without depending on the time and space. Besides, constant
technological advancements continue to improve the quality of online learning, making it
an increasingly viable and effective educational option.
In conclusion, getting an online psychology program has some drawbacks
including, self- discipline, time management, having practical observations and
technology skills barriers. However, institutions are enhancing their academic delivery of
the course by using opportunities developed technology enables both students and
teachers to get the most outcome.
References
American Psychological Association. (2021). The great distance learning
experiment continues. Monitor on Psychology, 52(1). Retrieved from
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/01/trends-distance-learning
Garip, G., Seneviratne, S. R., & Iacovou, S. (2020). Learners’ perceptions and
experiences of studying psychology online. Journal of Computers in Education, 7(4),
553–573. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40692-020-00167-4
Yeh, C.-Y., & Tsai, C.-C. (2022). Massive distance education: Barriers and
challenges in shifting to a complete online learning environment during the COVID-19
pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 928717.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.928717
