The Impact of Online vs. In-person Classes on College Students' Social Functioning and Well-Being: A Pilot Study

<em>This paper examines the relationship between undergraduate college students’ mix of online and in-person classes on their well-being and mental health. We first examine the research on consumer well-being and Quality of Social Functioning and then apply these streams of research to our pilot study, an online survey. In our pilot study, we find some statistical differences in students’ well-being, depending on whether they take predominantly in-person or online classes. Students who take about one half of their classes online are more satisfied with their academic performance than those who take all or mostly in-person classes. Those who take all or most in-person classes are more satisfied with their life at home than those who take all or most online. Additionally, students who take all or most in-person classes are more likely to agree that their professors care about them as a person. Ideas for future research are discussed, including running a parallel survey which uses college professors as respondents. </em>