Coronavirus Leads to Increase in Students Worrying About Workload
Students are significantly more worried about meeting the demands of their workload this year compared to 2019, according to research conducted by student insurance provider Endsleigh. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of the 414 applicants surveyed stated that one of their top concerns was ‘staying on top of the academic work’ compared to 64% in the previous year.
Coronavirus has had huge implications for the 2020 academic year, including local lockdowns being announced across some student accommodations. As a result, 70% of students state that they are worried their academic experience will be impacted as a result of the pandemic. Comments from students surveyed included;
“I haven’t done schoolwork in a while due to Coronavirus cancelling exams, so I’m worried about getting back into doing hard work straight away.”
“I’m concerned of the impact ‘blended learning’ will have on the enjoyment of my course and also the ability for me to learn effectively and communicate with teachers.”
With many universities moving to online learning, there has also been a rise in concern amongst applicants about building and maintaining relationships with tutors this year, along with increased worries regarding technology. While academic success remains the biggest area of worry for applicants at 85%, there has been a significant rise in those worrying about experiencing technological issues (39%) compared to 2019 (22%).
Despite the increased concerns surrounding how Coronavirus will impact their academic experience though, many are still remaining positive that they will receive the support they need. More students are saying they feel confident they will receive adequate support for their needs at university compared to 2019 (59% vs 49%), and more are anticipating they will turn to academic staff for help compared to 2019 (36% vs 25%).
While the majority of applicants (78%) are concerned to some extent about studying at university during the pandemic, many are still feeling positive. A third of students feel optimistic and a quarter are excited about starting their studies.
About Endsleigh Insurance Services
A leading insurance broker for the education sector, Endsleigh Insurance Services provide expert and affordable cover for students, alumni and education professionals across the UK.
Established in 1965 by NUS to champion affordable insurance for students, when others wouldn’t. They use their expertise and dedication to provide value for money for their customers and have extended their products and services to professionals as well as commercial and business customers, aligning their solutions to core markets of education, property, travel and not-for-profit. Find out more at www.endsleigh.co.uk/about-us/