A targeted e-learning approach for keeping universities open during the COVID-19 pandemic while reducing student physical interactions

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread closure of universities. Many universities turned to e-learning to provide educational continuity, but they now face the challenge of how to reopen safely and resume in-class learning. This is difficult to achieve without methods for measuring the impact of school policies on student physical interactions. Here, we show that selectively deploying e-learning for larger classes is highly effective at decreasing campus-wide opportunities for student-to-student contact, while allowing most in-class learning to continue uninterrupted. We conducted a natural experiment at a large university that implemented a series of e-learning interventions during the COVID-19 outbreak. The numbers and locations of 24,000 students on campus were measured over a 17-week period by analysing >24 million student connections to the university Wi-Fi network. We show that daily population size can be manipulated by e-learning in a targeted manner according to class size characteristics. Student mixing showed accelerated growth with population size according to a power law distribution. Therefore, a small e-learning dependent decrease in population size resulted in a large reduction in student clustering behaviour. Our results suggest that converting a small number of classes to e-learning can decrease potential for disease transmission while minimising disruption to university operations. Universities should consider targeted e-learning a viable strategy for providing educational continuity during periods of low community disease transmission.

Effects of COVID-19 on Japanese medical students’ knowledge and attitudes toward e-learning in relation to performance on achievement tests

“…Since the onset of the pandemic, numerous educational institutions have rapidly adapted to online or other forms of instruction to continue education [ 9 ], taking account of the risk of infection to students, staff, faculty, and teachers [ 10 , 11 ]. Not only have institutions improvised entire curricula [ 12 ], constructed novel class forms [ 7 , 13 , 14 ], often they were required to select and install online education systems [ 15 , 16 ]. Additionally, educators and administrative personnel needed to install appropriate systems and learn how to use these systems, often via faculty development [ 17 ].…”

Perceived e-learning stress as an independent predictor of e-learning readiness: Results from a nationwide survey in Bangladesh

“…Notwithstanding, e-learning orientation in Bangladesh just after the early strike of the COVID-19 pandemic was in the question of readiness and their mental health burden [ 25 ]. Therefore, viable teaching strategies are a timely demand and minimize disease transmission for pedagogical continuity during or after the COVID-19 crisis [ 26 ].…”

O trabalho remoto de enfermeiros docentes em tempos de pandemia

“…Diante da situação de crise no cenário mundial, instaurada pelas infecções por coronavírus, as instituições de ensino sofreram rápidas modificações na forma de ensinar, tanto na graduação quanto na pós-graduação. Estudo 16 realizado com alunos universitários de Singapura sugere que a conversão de aulas para o ambiente virtual diminui o potencial de transmissão de doenças, mitigando os danos decorrentes da interrupção das atividades universitárias. Portanto, acredita-se que a adoção do ensino remoto na instituição de pesquisa deste estudo foi uma estratégia viável para fornecer continuidade educacional durante os períodos de alta reprodução do Sars-CoV-2.…”