Students’ perceived workload, stress, fatigue and performance during the remote learning setup: A semester-long study

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has largely impacted college students as they reported experiencing increased workload, stress, and fatigue in the remote learning setup, which could potentially affect student learning and academic performance. This study investigated the experiences of 3rd year Industrial Engineering students at the University of the Philippines Diliman in the remote learning setup for the 2nd Semester of the Academic Year 2021-2022. The study measured students’ perceived workload (PWL), perceived stress (PS) and stress symptoms experienced, perceived fatigue (PF), and perceived academic performance weekly throughout the semester. Participant demographics and weekly activities were documented. Fifty-five (55) students completed the 17-week study with questionnaires administered through Qualtrics. The results indicate that the perceptions of workload, stress, fatigue and academic performance differed significantly between weeks in the semester, as well as between the participants’ sex. Hours spent by students on different activities during the semester were shown to significantly affect their perceived workload, stress, fatigue, and academic performance. Finally, the perceived workload correlated with perceived stress and perceived fatigue, which were also significantly correlated with the student's perceived academic performance.

Keywords: perceived workload, perceived stress, perceived fatigue, academic performance, remote learning

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1003161