As the pandemic continues to prolong school closures, many university students are feeling deprived of the full college experience, taking lessons online in isolation and getting less hands-on learning experiences. More than just accounting for learning loss during remote instruction, educators should also consider how socio-emotional challenges impact students’ ability to learn and develop, and how prolonged loss of interpersonal contact can affect students’ mental health in the long run.

Recognising the potential effect of such socio-emotional stressors, some colleges have begun to prepare for the “reverse culture shock” moving back to campus may have on students, with re-orientation programmes to help students integrate back into on-campus life and in-person schooling. 

As schools continue to grapple with hybrid learning and gradual school re-openings, post-pandemic recovery programmes need to be sensitive to the repercussions remote learning has had on students’ well-being, and provide holistic support for all forms of loss, beyond just loss of learning.