Ensuring students' wellness: resources and demands in higher education

Abstract

New technologies are changing higher education at an unprecedented scale, therefore to get a competitive edge societies round the world are trying to find new ways to meet emerging challenges by optimizing learning outcomes. The aim of the present article is to study the mitigating role of resources available to university students in the relation to demands, evaluate and compare their stress levels during Covid-19 lockdown and in-classroom learning using Demand-Induces Strain Compensation Model at Bryansk State University. Findings showed high stress levels during three months of remote learning, since physical and cognitive demands were poorly counterbalanced with relevant resources. In-person education demonstrated lower stress levels due to fewer demands and better resources in physical and emotional aspects. As to a cognitive aspect, the moderating role of resources was still insufficient, though the rate of cognitive demands was lower, compared to the remote learning. Consequently, it is essential to achieve an equilibrium between demands and matching resources to ensure students' wellness. A range of didactic possibilities has been offered within the blended learning paradigm to enhance interaction, collaboration, confidence of students as independent and active learners. Fading techniques that encourage learners to become autonomous technology users by gradually removing prompts and making tasks more challenging have proved to be successful.