The Impact of Long-Term Disruptions on Academic Success in Higher Education and Best Practices to Help Students Overcome Them

Abstract

Disruptions in the delivery of academic content in higher education had been minimal as recently as 2020. Learning obstacles have not only become more frequent but also exhibit increased duration due to climate related natural disasters, and most recently, global health pandemics. The primary investigators explore the negative impacts these events have had on students' academic success, and the best practices implemented by colleges and universities to help students overcome these issues, and persist in attaining personal and academic goals. Analysis will examine institutional-based efforts for academic student support, guidance, and motivation together with the students' resiliency efforts. Analysis will also describe the effects on the online delivery of academic content. Findings demonstrate that one of the best ways institutions can encourage academic success is through self-resiliency, and that proactive steps mitigate stressful events.

College Students and Environmental Disasters: A Review of the Literature

“…It is imperative to study the effect that disasters have on students' academic performance because without understanding the entire scope it will be difficult to apply the proper interventions and educational strategies to protect students' academic progress when it is disrupted by disasters. Several interventions and programming recommendations were provided in the review (Holzweiss et al 2020;Kornbluh et al 2022;Loudd et al 2018;Sholes et al 2023;Tkachuck et al 2018). Students in the literature have discussed the positive impact that receiving institutional support has had on their academic journey (Carales and Lopez 2022).…”

“…Several studies in our analysis focused on how various disasters disrupt or shape academic outcomes, shedding light on the intricate interplay between these external forces and students' pursuit of knowledge (Breen and Meyer 2021;Carales and Lopez 2022;Collings et al 2018;Di Pietro 2018;Lagmay and Rodrigo 2022;Sholes et al 2023). Several aspects of a student's academic experience in higher education have been found to be impacted by disasters.…”

“…Recognizing the impact of environmental disasters on college students' academic performance, several studies have investigated the significance of academic accommodations and support mechanisms in mitigating these disruptions. Research in the area of college students and disasters offers recommendations and best practices for supporting students who have had their academic progress disrupted by disaster (Holzweiss et al 2020;Kornbluh et al 2022;Loudd et al 2018;Sholes et al 2023;Tkachuck et al 2018). These recommendations and accommodations span university-wide student support for academic motivation and academic continuity, such as using progressive assessments throughout the term and utilizing online course delivery, while also cultivating strong relationships with learning resource providers (Collings et al 2019;Sholes et al 2023).…”

Course-Embedded Advising for International Students: Opportunities for Engagement Building

“…Formal advising in online programs has been shown to contribute to success in careers, post-graduation, as well as successful degree completion (Craft, Augustine-Shaw, Fairbanks & Adams-Wright, 2016;McGill (2019). Academic advising promotes persistence (Tippetts et al, 2022), and helps students to overcome the impact of long-term disruptions on success (Sholes, Sullivan, & Self, 2023). Further, psychological distress may be alleviated through online academic advising support (Askar, Adawiyah, & Nurdin, 2021).…”