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University students experience the COVID-19 induced shift to remote instruction.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic required an abrupt shift from face-to-face to online instruction for many students in higher education in the United States. Prior research has raised some concerns about both equitable access to online courses, and the quality of instruction in online courses compared to face-to-face courses. This survey study included a retrospective pretest approach to comparing students experiences before and after the transition to online instruction. The sample of 1731 students ranged across all available topics of study and all class standings from first-year students to doctoral students at a R1: Doctoral Universities-Very High Research Activity university according to the Carnegie classifications. Quality of instruction was addressed through the three principles of Universal Design for Learning. Students reported that most areas of quality of instruction were poorer after the transition, with having Engagement dropping by the largest effect size. However, Representation showed a small effect of improvement following the transition. Students who preferred online instruction reported less loss of instructional quality. Similarly, students eligible for disability services also reported less loss of instructional quality. Doctoral students reported significantly poorer access on multiple measures compared to all four years of undergraduate students' standings. Results are discussed in terms of patterns, exceptions, effect sizes, and recommendations for future research.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41239-021-00296-5.

SUBMITTER: Ives B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8594957 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The COVID-19 induced abrupt transition to online learning that occurred in the Spring of 2020 presented particular challenges to the adaptation of hands-on laboratory courses in biomedical engineering. This paper describes the transition of such a course in one undergraduate program, assessment of this transition, and how this assessment has led to the design of the Fall 2020 online delivery format. In the spring, instruction was delivered online via asynchronous lectures and recorded video demonstrations, while raw data was provided to students to simulate specific laboratory techniques. Additionally, synchronous and asynchronous forms of student support were offered, including office hours and discussions. Student feedback was assessed via an end-of-semester survey designed specifically to analyze the students’ perceptions of the Spring 2020 transition to remote learning, as well as a comparison of Spring 2020 and Spring 2019 (when the course was taught in-person) student performance deliverables. Student performance was comparable to (or even better than) that in 2019. Students responded very positively to the transition, with most students agreeing or strongly agreeing that they had the resources needed to succeed (4.43 on a Likert scale), although on average, the students also found that the shift made learning more challenging, with increased effort required to engage with the material. Students especially found the recorded demonstration of laboratory techniques, asynchronous lectures, the learning management system chat feature, and virtual office hours useful. Many students felt that even with these resources, they still lost some of the experience that comes with in-person hands-on application, and some students found working in teams to be more challenging. While the overall approach implemented in the abrupt transition was effective in terms of student learning outcomes, engagement and immersion in a more realistic experience is a concern moving forward in Fall 2020. Based on our outcomes and on data from the literature, we will add gamified virtual lab simulations, shown to enhance student experience and create a more engaging and effective learning environment in lieu of in-person instruction. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s43683-020-00015-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Project description:Student engagement in online learning enhance students performance and the outcomes of the learning process in online learning environment. The existed literature revealed various factors influencing student engagement in online leaning, however these studies were before the COVID-19 crisis. The purpose of the current paper is to explore the factors that influence student engagement in online learning during the COVID-19 crisis in middle school settings in developing countries where is a lack of studies about the factors influencing student's engagement in emergency remote learning during the crisis. A qualitative approach was used for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured interviews with 34 participants (14 students, 13 teachers, and 7 parents) were conducted for 20-30 min. Furthermore, online class observations were used for data collection; 13 online classes were observed. Each class was 40 min. A thematic analysis was used to categorize the findings into themes and subthemes. The findings of the study revealed that various factors influence student engagement in online learning during the crisis including infrastructure factors, cultural factors, digital inequality, and the threat to digital privacy. Cultural factors were the important factor that influences females because of parents' culture and their bias against females using online learning compared to male students. Teachers' presence and quality of content were the major factors that influence student engagement, where parental concerns, norms, and traditions emerged as the major factors in the crisis, influencing engagement. Most of the participants reported that teaching and learning online during the crisis has broadened the digital inequality and threatened their digital privacy which influenced negatively student engagement. The limitations of this research included the limited number of participants covering a large geographic area, and the research design using diverse and often limited educational software and delivery methods. Future studies could utilize a mixed-method approach and include more participants.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10639-021-10566-4.

Project description:Objective Evaluate undergraduate students’ experience in a synchronous online course that utilized flipped learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Use of Theory or Research In studies using face-to-face courses, flipped learning has helped students become independent learners compared to traditional, lecture-based courses. However, studies investigating flipped learning rely on face-to-face courses and it is unknown if this model can be effectively applied to the online, synchronous learning environment. Target Audience Upper-level undergraduate students (n = 12) in an advanced nutrition synchronous online course at a midsize, private Midwestern university using Zoom software Course/Curriculum Description In this online, synchronous flipped class, students read textbook chapters and/or watched videos prior to coming to class. Synchronous online classes conducted via zoom were utilized for applying material. Breakout rooms were utilized for team-based learning activities. Example topics covered in class include macronutrient and micronutrient metabolism. Evaluation Methods Students completed 5 learning reflections throughout the semester. Content analysis was applied to these reflections to discover themes by two investigators. Results Five themes were discovered from the reflections: dependency, peer support, metacognition, asking questions, and effort. Overall, students did not become independent learners and depended on the instructor to explain things to them; however, students did recognize they had room for growth in their efforts to learn on their own. Peer support using breakout rooms during class provided a safe space and much needed support and interaction, especially during a socially isolated time. While students valued the learning moments that came from asking questions, they largely relied on others to ask questions. Conclusions Even though students were able to grow and make strides as learners during the flipped, remote course, they never became fully independent learners. Utilizing breakout rooms for team-based learning may help students develop the confidence in asking questions and learning from mistakes. Additionally, compared to previous studies, students in this remote course emphasized the benefits of the team-based learning for social support and interaction. Funding None

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University students experience the COVID-19 induced shift to remote instruction.

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