Page 23 - Keys to College Success

Student health and psychological services. As a student, you have access to these
services through your school. Many colleges have set up ways for their students to have
appointments and receive mental health support over videoconferencing. Connect with
your student health department or counseling and psychological services department for
information on what is available to you.

Hotlines, websites, and social media groups. When you need help in a crisis mo-
ment, hotlines and online help sources are there for you. There are hotlines for situa-
tions involving thoughts of suicide, sexual assault, domestic violence, LGBTQ-related
crises, addiction, and more. Similarly, you will f nd websites and social media groups
for any type of crisis or need. Do not hesitate to reach out; you will f nd someone who
understands and is ready to listen.

Crisis Management

Emergency situations. If you have reached a point of extreme crisis or despair, wheth-
er it involves your own mental health or a danger coming from someone else, there is
no time to waste. Call 911 for assistance and protection.

Loss, trauma, and grief. With so many in crisis and losing their lives, grief and trauma
are widespread. Complicating this diff culty is the devastating inability to gather for
in-person funerals and memorial services. Grief is not a quick experience that you “get
over” or “move on” from, nor does it progress in an orderly fashion through predeter-
mined stages. It is real, it is tough, and you can benef t from support. Seek solace from
friends and family members, grief groups, or online grief writings and websites.

LEARNING
in digital environments

As many of you have experienced, digital courses contain all of the parts of a tra-
ditional classroom, but transformed. Whether you use a desktop computer, a laptop, a
tablet, or a cell phone to access your coursework, you will find that:
■ Your instructor designs and teaches the course, but delivers information digitally
in some combination of formats (text, video, narrated PowerPoints, and more)
rather than in person.
■ Fellow students take the course with you, but you will not meet in person; you
may communicate in discussion groups or video chats, but in some classes you
may not interact at all.

■ Course materials are generally provided as downloadable f les or links students
can access digitally. If a course requires a hard copy text, students can order books
to be shipped to their homes.

How Digital Learning Works

Courses in the digital learning space can be either fully online (all aspects of learning
taking place electronically) or hybrid (part of the course takes place in person, and part
takes place online). Online courses have two main elements:

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