A Lockdown on Learning
Like many institutions, the University of Manchester closed during the coronavirus outbreak. Having just emerged from weeks of staff strikes, I hardly felt I’d returned to studying since Christmas and now the uncertainty of things ever returning to normal loomed. Being at home with family is comforting, but lockdown has presented a particular set of challenges to my studies.
The university has adapted to distance teaching incredibly quickly. Materials have been made available online, so I am not missing much content that would have been delivered face-to-face. While this means my learning should continue at about the same pace as if university were open, I have realised that the lack of routine, structure and interaction associated with student life has greatly impaired my ability to study.
Without morning classes, it becomes extremely easy to stay in bed and postpone watching online lecture podcasts until “tomorrow”. This is exacerbated for me because I have delayed sleep phase syndrome which means I’m wide awake at 4am, but can’t wake up until midday. Following a standard schedule forces me to try to conform, but without this I lose the majority of the day sleeping and then when I can get up, I can’t muster the energy or motivation to crack on with work.
The “no disadvantage” policy is a measure taken by the university to counteract the disruption caused by COVID-19. In short, it means I must submit and pass all coursework, but the marks will not count towards my final grade. Obviously this decision is a relief, but I have noticed a dramatic effect on my approach to work and a vastly reduced motivation to complete it to the very best of my ability.
For instance, when planning an essay, I usually read extensively around the topic and then select the most relevant sources to form a strong argument. In contrast, approaching my first essay under the “no disadvantage” policy, I just read a few articles looking for something to write to fill the pages. Coming across something complicated, instead of working to understand it like I usually would, I set it aside in favour of something easier that fit the bill.
On reflection, I didn’t feel particularly engaged by the subject of this essay and I’d like to think that had it been more interesting, I would have put in my usual amount of effort. Nevertheless, I learned some things about myself as a learner that surprised me. Firstly, although I am quite a solitary person, I am much more dependent than I realised on interaction with mentors and other students in bringing learning material to life and secondly, despite what I previously thought, the extrinsic reward of a grade is a stronger motivating factor for me than purely the desire to learn. Therefore, in future when there is a new normal, I will embrace group work as an opportunity rather than as a chore and while I will still have high ambitions, I will try to be less stressed about obtaining the highest grades, in favour of taking advantage of the “here and now”.
