COMBATING SOCIAL ISOLATION IN DIGITAL LEARNING: THE ROLE OF COLLABORATIVE TOOLS AND VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES IN PROMOTING MENTAL WELL-BEING AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The changes in education such as digital learning enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic bring about issues like social isolation, this affects the psychological well-being of students as well as their academic performance. This research examines the significance of those tools and virtual communities in moderating such impacts on higher learning students. A sample of 250 students showed that the adoption of collaborative technologies such as video conferencing and the use of other community-based systems have positive effects on isolation, mental health and academic performance as manifested by the increased use of such tools as documented by the study. The results herein show the importance of these tools as social relatedness facilitators, emotional wellbeing, and academic achievement for students engaging in digital learning and teaching. When students engage with these tools, the higher education institutions gain potential means to address students’ psychological and academic needs in the online environment.