Students are finding physical outlets to unplug from their devices and plug into community.<\/p>\n
Since 2020<\/a>, higher education has become increasingly reliant on technology as an academic tool. Nationwide, 72% of college students<\/a> have felt occasionally overwhelmed by technology, and nearly half<\/a> feel more isolated when they\u2019re online. Yet, 61% of college students<\/a> have reported feeling pressure to stay connected to their digital devices, whether it\u2019s for academic or social use.\u00a0<\/p>\n At Pitt, many students are finding ways to balance their overwhelming screen time with in-person activities, in and out of the classroom.<\/p>\n Allison Bennett Dyche, a teaching professor in the department of English, assigned her \u201cENGWRT 0550: Fundamentals of News Reporting\u201d class a hands-on, rather than digital, final project \u2014 creating a zine about the Cathedral of Learning. The students positively responded to this project, according to Dyche, who believes instructors should provide more tactile assignments to students.<\/p>\n \u201cStudents are hungry for getting to do projects that are different and getting to do hands-on stuff,\u201d Dyche said. \u201cAnytime you can get students working in a collaborative environment, where they\u2019re actually talking to each other in person and not via screen, is really important. If you\u2019re going to be in person, make it in person. Take advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Instructors at Pitt are working to understand the best pedagogical applications of technology in the classroom, according to Michael Arenth, interim executive director of the University Center for Teaching and Learning<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn general, educational technology should only be applied when it enhances teaching and when it is based in sound pedagogy<\/a>,\u201d Arenth said. \u201cWe strongly discourage allowing technology to determine an instructor\u2019s teaching strategy. That philosophy will certainly still apply as AI plays a growing role<\/a> in teaching and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n Technology fatigue<\/a> occurs when an individual has excessive exposure to technology, which can lead to feelings of exhaustion and anxiety. Jules Nissley, a first-year nursing major, has noticed an uptick in their tech fatigue since starting college this fall.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything\u2019s not so structured like it was in high school,\u201d Nissley said. \u201cI find myself escaping into technology as a way to pass time or to not engage with what I need to be engaging with. I can feel that making my brain fogged. I\u2019m not quite as focused as I should be.\u201d<\/p>\n To find real-life community and get away from their devices, Nissley joined WPTS Radio<\/a>, the University\u2019s student-operated radio station. They also joined Club Running at Pitt<\/a>, a hobby that helps them go beyond their screens and feel connected with the world.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been running for years. I got into it to de-stress and as something for my mental health,\u201d Nissley said. \u201dThere\u2019s a social aspect of [running], and that\u2019s why I\u2019ve been getting into it [more] in college. It really helps having friends that you know you\u2019re going to be with every day at 5:30.\u201d<\/p>\n Hedalis Henriquez Lopez, a junior rehabilitation science major, also participates in Pitt\u2019s Club Running and Club Triathlon at Pitt<\/a> as a way to destress. She tries to restrict her screen time and increase her in-person hobbies.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have a limit timer for how much I can be on social media, because I like to be doing \u2018real life\u2019 things too,\u201d Henriquez Lopez said. \u201cWhen it comes to studies and college, because it can be really stressful, [sports] are a good way to take my mind away from stress \u2014 especially when I stay locked up for seven hours straight studying.\u201d<\/p>\n Sports organizations aren\u2019t the only outlet available for students who want to unplug. The University\u2019s Center for Creativity<\/a> holds community-centered arts events and resources that are open to all Pitt students.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sydney DuBose, a C4C assistant, said she has seen students build a community beyond their phones at the center.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Center for Creativity, with there being less of a tech element, allows you to be more present, which makes you open to having different interactions with people in your community,\u201d DuBose said.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to DuBose, high usage<\/a> of phones can lead to a lack of awareness within communities.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of community comes with people being interested outside their own lives,\u201d DuBose said. \u201cWith your phone, it\u2019s really easy to be sucked into my phone and what I\u2019m doing on there versus, what does my neighbor need? What does my friend need? What does a stranger need?\u201d<\/p>\n The C4C offers a place for students to de-stress from a number of stressors, including their classes, according to DuBose.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could do really poorly on a test or exam and come in here to forget about it,\u201d DuBose said. \u201c[You] have time to recenter and take out some of those emotions through a creative process. It\u2019s been very helpful for people to have tools so that they\u2019re able to still relieve stress in a way that is accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n Artistic, in-person outlets at Pitt extend beyond the C4C. Victoria Murphy, a senior theater arts and political science major, is the president of The Performance Collaborative<\/a>, which hosts theater workshops, staged readings and student-organized productions.<\/p>\n The Performance Collaborative and other theater organizations thrive through in-person connection, according to Murphy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBeing creative in a room full of other people really gets ideas flowing like it wouldn\u2019t online,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cTheater is all about the live performance, so being in-person and being present with one another, turning off your phone during a show, it\u2019s a really important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n