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This study examined how undergraduate students (N = 153, M age = 19.3 years, 58.8% female) in an Introductory Psychology course experienced the transition to fully online instruction during the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City during spring 2020. We examined predictors of online submission of assignments throughout the semester and students' attitudes toward online learning at the end of the semester. Students tended to report the transition to remote instruction as disruptive to their learning. Students with more positive attitudes toward unmitigated in-class use of personal technologies at the start of the semester reported higher rates of digital multitasking while working from home and more negative attitudes about the course transition. Underrepresented minority (URM) students held more negative attitudes about the transition, while gender and URM status were associated with variation in students' submission of online assignments at specific times. Responses to an end-of-semester question about challenges faced while learning online suggested that students experienced multiple challenges, especially staying motivated and focused and maintaining adequate access to the internet and internet-enabled devices. Students' self-efficacy for learning online predicted numbers of assignments submitted. Students in a larger section submitted fewer assignments and had lower exam grades than those in a smaller section. Few other factors explained variation in assignment submissions or exam grades. The findings elucidate differences in how students experienced the abrupt transition to remote instruction, thus informing efforts toward more equitable access to education in the midst of an ongoing crisis.

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This study investigated factors contributing to Introductory Psychology students' success in remote online learning during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Building on the composite persistence model, we used learning outcomes assessment data to examine student characteristics (demographics), skills, and internal and external factors as predictors of performance of diverse students (N = 1,270) enrolled at an open-enrollment, Hispanicserving institution in Fall 2020. In keeping with prepandemic national trends, Hispanic/ Latinx and Black/African American students performed worse across outcomes (pass/fail, homework submission, quiz scores, and test grades), as did males on most outcomes. Reading comprehension skill predicted all outcomes over and above student characteristics. For internal factors, greater perceived difficulty of transitioning to online learning adversely impacted most outcomes. Self-reported digital multitasking was unrelated to outcomes; only 25% of students identified difficulties with attention and motivation as a learning challenge. For external factors, the use of handheld devices to complete homework was associated with worse outcomes. About half (49%) identified digital access as a challenge, though identifying this challenge was unrelated to outcomes. Additionally, students in larger sections (≥119 students) performed worse. Students who noted specific challenges (e.g., digital access, disruptive environments) at the start of the semester tended to be from demographic groups (e.g., females) with better outcomes. Cumulatively, these factors accounted for only 10.4%-16.5% of variance in course outcomes, suggesting that other factors beyond the present study's scope (e.g., student, family, and community mental and physical health) may have also impacted learning during the pandemic.