When the World Paused for COVID-19, We Finally Caught Our Breath - Students’ Schedules, Stress, and the Busy Time of the Semester

Oct 15, 2026

Life as a postsecondary student can be extremely busy, especially when studies overlap with volunteering, employment, and personal commitments. The mid-semester period intensifies pressure through simultaneous midterms and assignment deadlines, often carrying into the end of term. A qualitative study with nine university students examines what occurred when this busy period coincided with the start of COVID-19. Stress was paused as universities adapted to online learning, and the pause was appreciated when students were unsure how to manage academic and non-academic obligations. Findings indicate that university scheduling structures may adversely affect student well-being.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Student workload and stress during mid-semester

Impact of COVID-19 and transition to online learning

Appreciation of the “pause” and uncertainty management

Implications for university scheduling and student well-being

Life as a student prior to COVID-19

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 14 | Issue 2 | Article 3 | | --- | --- | | Fall 10-15-2023
When the World Paused for COVID-19, We Finally Caught Our Breath: Students’Schedules, Stress, and the Busy Time of the Semester
Rebecca Casey
Acadia University, rebecca.casey@acadiau.ca Samantha Teichman
Simon Fraser University, [samantha_teichman@sfu.ca](samantha_teichman@sfu.ca)[ ](samantha_teichman@sfu.ca)Lacey Acker
142366a@acadiau.ca
Follow this and additional works at: [https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca](https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca)
[https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.14289](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.14289) | | Recommended Citation Casey, R., Teichman, S., & Acker, L. (2023) . When the world paused for COVID-19, we finally caught our breath: Students’schedules, stress, and the busy time of the semester. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 14(2) . [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.14298](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.14298) When the World Paused for COVID-19, We Finally Caught Our Breath: Students’ Schedules, Stress, and the Busy Time of the Semester Abstract Life as a postsecondary student can be extremely busy especially as many students combine academic studies with volunteering, employment, and personal commitments. Students become even busier atthe middle of the semester with midterms and assignments due at the same time, which can lead to stress. This busy time typically continues into the end of term. Our qualitative study with nine university students captured what happened when the busy time of the semester coincided with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The stress students felt during this busy time in the semester was paused while the university adjusted to online learning. Although the pandemic was stressful for many, the pause it created for students was appreciated as they were unsure how to manage all their commitments – both academic and non-academic. These findings suggest that the structure of university schedules and academic timetables may have harmful effects on student well-being. La vie en tant qu’étudiant ou étudiante post-secondaire peut être extrêmement occupée alors que les étudiants et les étudiantes combinent leurs études universitaires avec le bénévolat, un emploi et les engagements personnels. Les étudiants et les étudiantes sont encore plus occupés au milieu dusemestre avec leurs examens de mi-session et les dates de remise de travaux qui tombent en même temps, ce qui peut engendrer du stress. Cette période de forte activité peut continuer jusqu’à la fin dela session. Notre étude qualitative auprès de neuf étudiants et étudiantes universitaires a permis desaisir ce qui s’est passé quand la période chargée du semestre a coïncidé avec la pandémie de la COVID- 19. Le stress ressenti par les étudiants et les étudiantes durant cette période chargée du semestre a été mis en pause alors que les universités se sont ajustées pour l’enseignement en ligne. Bien que lapandémie ait été une période stressante pour de nombreuses personnes, la pause qu’elle a créée pour les étudiants et les étudiantes a été appréciée à un moment où ceux-ci ne savaient pas comment gérer toutes leurs obligations – universitaires et non universitaires. Ces résultats suggèrent que la structure de l’emploi du temps des universités pourrait avoir des effets néfastes sur le bien-être des étudiantset des étudiantes. Keywords COVID-19, stress, well-being, post-secondary education; COVID-19, stress, bien-être, enseignement post-secondaire This research paper/Rapport de recherche is available in The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.14298](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2023.2.14298) University is an exciting and challenging time for students. The typical challenges experienced by university stud

FAQs

Why did students experience heightened stress during the mid-semester period?

Students became especially busy in the middle of term as midterms and assignment deadlines arrived at the same time. This overlap typically continued toward the end of the semester, increasing stress.

What happened to student stress when COVID-19 began and campuses shifted online?

As universities adjusted to online learning, the stress students felt during the busy semester period was effectively paused. Students also appreciated the pause despite the broader stress of the pandemic.

What do the study findings suggest about university scheduling?

The findings suggest that the structure of university schedules and academic timetables may have harmful effects on student well-being, especially during periods of heavy academic demand.

Oct 15, 2026

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