COVID-19, a devastating World-Wide Phenomenon: In What Ways Ha COVID-19 Pandemic

Affected College Students’ Way of Learning?

Abstract

A year ago, the world experienced for the first time in this 21 st century. The COVID-19
pandemic occurs world-wide or over a vast area, crossing international boundaries and affecting
many people. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health
Organization. It was thought to spread mainly through close contact from person to person. This
paper will have different elements such as researching by gathering primary and secondary
evidence, interview, survey, or observational notes of my own, and finding credible information
from other sources regarding the topic. Over time, the subject will be dissected to understand
better the impacts that the pandemic has had on college students' studies. The reason for writing
this paper is because it is a relevant topic. People are still living in this condition. It is also a way
to gather the best knowledge possible for creating the most effective learning environment for
college students.

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KEYWORDS: COVID-19, World Health Organization, Impacts on Students, International
Boundaries.

1.0: Introduction

COVID-19 drastically impacted the global college education among all learners. The
indicating signs that it led to extreme failure in the traditional classroom system birthed newer-
technology-led challenges for digital learning. While the students across colleges in developed
countries transitioned effectively from classroom mode of delivery to digital learning systems,
others in the developing countries were deeply affected during the initial stages of the pandemic.
As a result, many students had delayed graduation schedules, lost sponsorships, lacked digital
tools for learning, contracted the virus, and many other effects. As mentioned in the
methodology section, this research paper establishes the listed results through surveys from the
sampled participants. It also reviews primary and secondary sources to correlate the findings.
1.1: Research Questions
i.) How did COVID-19 impact students across colleges and universities?
ii.) What responses did students have to the increasing cases of the COVID-19?
iii.) How did colleges and Universities transition students amidst the upsurge of the pandemic?
1.1: Research Objectives
i.) To find out how COVID-19 impacts students across colleges and universities.
ii.) To identify the responses the students made to the increasing cases of the COVID-19.

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iii.) To explain how the colleges and Universities transitioned students amidst the upsurge of the
pandemic.

2.0: Review of Literature

With many universities and colleges across the United States and the rest of the world
closing their doors from operations to prevent the spread of the disease, it led many students to
discontinue their learning. In the United States, almost 34% of international students come from
China, and 18% are from India (Kecojevic et al., 2020). During the early phases of the pandemic,
the students were unable to return to their homes, nor were they allowed to continue learning in
the universities, as shown by Kecojevic et al. (2020). The attributions delineating failure to go
home and reconnect with families resulted from many countries closing international borders and
curbing the spread of the virus (Ferrel & Ryan, 2020). China and India have reportedly recorded
more deaths than any other country due to their populations. Overhaul on learning and lack of
familial connection resulted in many students missing out on content coverage and timely
graduation (Ferrel & Ryan, 2020). Regardless of how swift a university or a college responded to
the cases of the pandemic, the students suffered drastic effects.
Based on the feedback derived from the sampled and participated in an online survey,
COVID-19 affected them mentally more than other defects. Out of the 30 online survey
participants, 21 responded that they suffered extreme cases of anxiety, fear, and depression. It is
a proportion of 63% that reported cases of mental health disorders. 37% of the remaining
students reported mixed responses as they resided in states and cities adjacent to the colleges or
universities they attended. A significant portion of the 63% were international students who
could not travel out of the university residential halls. Additionally, the proportion of the students
who reported mental health cases further asserted their condition developed out of suspicious

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