“Your instructor has released grade changes and comments to your assessment. Click to view.” This familiar yet often dreaded message is a staple of the 24/7 barrage of digital notifications common for Upper School (US) students and includes notifications about deadlines, assignment instructions and grades.
Almost 20% of high school students today have moderate-to-serious stress-related problems with their technology usage, according to a 2022 National Institute of Health study. At the US, students often receive grades and complete work fully online through sites like Canvas, Google Classroom and VHL.
US Counselor Sarah Vollmann often encounters students with more general mental health issues related to screen use.
“Many students express concern that they are on their devices too much, and concerns also come up at times around negative social media experiences,” she said. “Although I can imagine that digital grading could definitely heighten stress, I don’t have any direct data to share.”
For students who are dealing with online grade-related stress, Ms. Vollmann recommends trying to lower screen use.
“Carving out times that are screen-free is really important,” she said. “Students can do that individually, and it is great when families can reinforce that as well. Families can model screen-free time through weekend activities, being outdoors and helping everyone disconnect digitally to avoid being on call 24/7.”
Though Canvas can be useful for keeping students’ assignments and schoolwork organized, it can also lead to an overdependence on the digital setup, US English Teacher Akemi Ueda said.
“Students are really reliant on Canvas, and if there’s something that isn’t on there – let’s say you said it in class – then kids will often just not have done it.”
Malik Shadid ’28 believes digital scholastic tools can cause stress, even for smaller assignments.
“I do feel more anxious when tests are given back, but sometimes I’m just nervous to open smaller assignments because I don’t want to get a bad grade,” he said.
Reviewing assessments in person is better than viewing scores online, Malik said.
“If I was ever to get a C and had to wait until the next day to see my errors, that would be the worst feeling ever, so sometimes, I put off checking my grades so it doesn’t ruin my mood.”
Christian Chow ’28 finds the digital notification systems helpful.
“It gives you a good sense of where you are with your grades,” he said. “I check my email every day because that’s how I know when teachers are returning assignments. And I can use my calendar to see what assignments I have to do.”
Christian said he doesn’t see an association between the digital system and stress.
“It’s not really about Canvas itself but more about the actual assignment. If you just took a stressful test, you’re gonna be stressed out about your grade. Canvas is just what delivers the message.”
