Abstract

Background:
The outbreak of COVID – 19 had a great impact on our everyday lives. People of all professions have been tremendously affected by the pandemic and self- isolation. The lockdown had serious implications on mental health. Many students seldom faced issues and were not able to cope with a sudden change in classes and overall education.

Aim:
The aim of this study was to identify the factors affecting students' performance in online classes during the pandemic period of COVID-19. Study design: A descriptive cross-sectional study.

Methods:
The respondents were informed about the objective of the study. They were assured about confidentiality of data. The information used in this study was gathered through an online survey which was built using Google forms. It was circulated through social media. Data has been collected from 315 respondents who were studying in schools and universities.

Results:
315 responses were analysed. Descriptive statistics show that 33.1% of the respondents belonged to schools and the rest 66.9% belonged to universities. Only 25% of students thought online classes are better than offline mode. 70% of students agreed that offline learning is more effective than online classes. 75% of students agreed that they do not get to spend time with their family members even though they attend online classes. Students faced difficulties like: Itching in the eyes, watering of eyes, headache, a feeling of dullness, reduced sleep and waking up tired, nausea and dizziness, blurred/double vision, dry/red eyes, neck/back pain.

Conclusion:
The start of online classes has proved to be a great burden and stressor for the student population.

Key words: COVID-19*/epidemiology, Mental health, Pandemics, Children and Youth, COVID-19; Impact, Online education, Students