Watching online videos of your own choice used to be fun. People watched hours of content on multiple topics, without noticing that any time had passed. At least that was before online academic pressure took over. Now, faced with the situational uncertainty and pre-recorded classes brought on by Covid-19, it seems as if nothing can make students sit through a whole pre-recorded video without interruptions. Their sibling could be calling for help with their homework, they might have to make dinner before their parents come home from work or they may need to buy groceries from the store. Every task other than the one in front of them seems worthwhile.

NYU Abu Dhabi’s decision to implement a Remote Plus semester mostly comprised of online classes provided a sense of comfort and safety to many students and faculty. However, this decision came with its own challenges. Besides figuring out Zoom meetings, adjusting the syllabus to suit an online format and compressing assignments to fit a 13 week structure, one of the greatest challenges presented was the inflexibility of pre-recorded classes.

Pre-recorded videos bring forth a number of challenges. The format that professors use to make these videos may sometimes create technical difficulties that can make for an unpleasant viewing experience as they can exceed regular class durations. These factors, along with the fact that the responsibility to finish the video and do additional work is imposed on the student, can create opportunities for intensified distraction and procrastination. And if procrastination occurs, it is difficult to overcome on one’s own. As a result, rather than accelerating academic progress and growth, pre-recorded classes lead to a stagnation, or even a decline, in academic performance.

Imagine this: you’re scrolling through your emails, and you notice that your professor posted a new lecture. You begin watching it, but start feeling nervous when you realize that the video is double the duration of a regular class. You get into the most comfortable position and press play. After several minutes, you get distracted and decide to do something else. The task remains unfinished. You come back to the video, but you get distracted again. And the cycle repeats itself.

So, why do you feel this way towards finishing certain tasks?

Blame procrastination. It is a perfect example of present bias, the tendency to prioritize short-term goals instead of long-term ones. When you procrastinate, you're not only aware that you’re avoiding a task, but you know it is a bad idea. And yet, you keep on procrastinating anyway. This has to do with the negative emotions associated with the assigned task.

Procrastination isn’t a flaw in the wiring of the brain, rather an emotion-management problem, as shown by a study on overcoming procrastination. This understanding presents procrastination as a way of coping with challenging emotions and negative moods. Though it depends on the task, one may procrastinate due to deeper feelings, such as self-doubt or insecurity. So, that momentary relief you feel when you postpone something becomes rewarding, and this marks the beginning of the vicious cycle: when you feel rewarded by an action, you tend to repeat it until it becomes a habit.

Can you count the number of times you caught yourself opening a new tab during a live Zoom class? Eventually, your conscience tells you to close everything and focus on class. Well, this voice of conscience tends to disappear while watching pre-recorded classes. Boredom translates into procrastination, so now you can only imagine the implications that pre-recorded classes carry. The fact that you’re attending Zoom University ties pre-recorded classes and procrastination closely together and this intensifies your urge to postpone tasks. Since you’re watching the mandatory videos on your own, there isn’t an authority figure to hold you accountable for your actions like there is in live online classes. If the topic of the video doesn't interest you, it is very likely you’ll end up minimizing the window with the video and continue scrolling through social media. And before you know it, a two hour class turns into a six-hour ordeal.

Another key factor that contributes to procrastination during pre-recorded classes is the loss of the element of interactivity — something that in-person classes offered and online classes have struggled to achieve. During live classes, professors can create breakout rooms, live quizzes, interactive presentations, pitches, brainstorming sessions and peer reviews. These aren’t a possibility with pre-recorded videos; it is just you and the professor’s immortalized lecture — nothing more, nothing less.

It is easy to disregard this type of procrastination amid the enormous wave of other problems the pandemic has splashed onto students. Procrastination is usually deemed as something one can work on by themselves, and as a result, it isn’t given enough attention by society as a bad habit that can escalate to a problem which affects a person’s social, emotional, physical and academic wellbeing. The reality is far from that, and when it comes to maintaining academic performance, both students and professors should collaborate to alleviate some of the pressure this remote semester created. In fact, this semester is the perfect time to recognize the challenges of procrastination — exacerbated by pre-recorded classes — and actively work toward finding alternative and more engaging methods of learning.