The Future of Education

The growing advance of technology has expanded the use of online learning. Many students may face challenges when attending this type of education, such as the lack of face-to-face interaction and the need for self-discipline. Psycho-pedagogical support can help students adapt to this new environment by offering guidance and resources to develop self-management and organisational skills. This article explores the importance of psycho-pedagogical support in online learning. Here we highlight the strategy we used to help students who were in the first year of an online degree course. To this end, a non-formal space was created where challenges were presented, through forums, with themes that were not only relevant to the development of study and adaptation strategies, but also promoted the socio-emotional development of the students who wanted to take part in this experience. The potential users of this space were around 750 students of both sexes. Over the course of the semester, a total of nine challenges were presented, ranging from the problem of getting back to studying to setting goals and preparing for the final exams. In these free forums, students were able to interact with each other and with the teacher, expressing their difficulties, fears and experiences. In addition to the forums, there was also a space with a series of questionnaires on study strategies and approaches, as well as questions related to being and studying online. These were intended to help students reflect on their own practice. Online learning can be isolating and emotionally challenging for some students. Psycho-pedagogical support provides a safe space for students to express their concerns, deal with academic stress and develop effective coping skills. In brief, by implementing effective psycho-pedagogical support strategies, students' well-being can be promoted and, as a result, their learning potential maximised.