Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Online well-being 217 
always the availability of the online materials, and it is easy to get 
engaged with some learning, meaning you go to bed late. 
QUICK TIP: Have a cut off time for studying. Just because the 
study materials are always-on does not mean you have to be. 
Stop studying so that you can go to bed according to a routine. 
Tere is one other important reason for ensuring you do not al-
low excessive computer use to interfere with a good night’s sleep. 
Research has shown that poor sleep quality is linked to stress and 
depression in university students (Ramos et al., 2021). Not getting 
good quality sleep can afect your mental health, which, in turn, 
can have an impact on your degree results. 
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GET SUPPORT 
Studying online can be lonely. Unlike traditional university stu-
dents, where there is always someone in the kitchen or bar to talk 
to, those who study online often only have their families around 
them. Social support from friends and people in the same situa-
tion as ourselves, can be signifcant in terms of alleviating or pre-
venting mental health issues. You may think that you have people 
to talk with at home. However, parents or siblings do not under-
stand the situation you are experiencing as they are not doing 
the online studies. Other students will know what you are going 
through because they are in the same situation. On campus, all 
students are in similar situations, and so when they chat with each 
other about any issues or concerns they have, there is a shared 
understanding. For online students, alone apart from their family 
around them, there isn’t anyone you can bump into who has that 
shared experience. 
Universities will provide online students with the ability to be so-
cial. Tere will be “student-only” forums set up for you to use. 

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