“Everyone is new to this”: Student reflections on different aspects of online learning

Abstract

In 2020, many instructors and students at colleges and universities were thrust into an unprecedented situation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. Even though they typically engage in in-person teaching and learning in brick and mortar classrooms, remote instruction was the only possibility. Many instructors at our institution who had to switch from in-person to remote instruction without any notice earlier in the year worked extremely hard to design and teach online courses to support their students during the second half of 2020. Since different instructors chose different pedagogical approaches for remote instruction, students taking multiple remote classes simultaneously experienced a variety of instructional strategies. We present an analysis of students' perceptions of remote learning in their lecture-based, active learning, and lab physics classes at a large research university in the USA, focusing on positive and negative aspects including collaboration, communication, and assessment. Student reflections emphasized the importance of grade incentives for out-of-class and in-class work; frequent, low-stakes assessments; community-building activities; and opportunities to study with peers. Reflecting on the challenges and successes of different types of remote instructional approaches from students' perspective could provide useful insight to guide the design of future online courses as well as some aspects of in-person courses.

Comparing students’ flow states during apparatus-based versus video-based lab activities

“…While course A occurred before the COVID-19 pandemic both courses B and C took place in Spring 2020 in the semester, resulting in an additional confounding factor that may have affected students' responses to our survey. Recent research into the effects of the sudden transition to online learning on students showed that online teaching negatively impacted student engagement and interaction between peers and with the instructors [40,41]. Students particularly missed opportunities to collaborate when doing lab activities online [41].…”

“…Recent research into the effects of the sudden transition to online learning on students showed that online teaching negatively impacted student engagement and interaction between peers and with the instructors [40,41]. Students particularly missed opportunities to collaborate when doing lab activities online [41]. Research suggests that students who are better at self-regulation/organization and who have better communication abilities are better equipped to succeed in the online learning environment [42,43].…”

Research on the Design and Application of Online Learning Activities for Chinese-foreign Cooperative Universities under the Perspective of Deep Learning

“…Distance online teaching was carried out by various instructors, and students were also exposed to various teaching strategies. Different students' knowledge and perceptions of distance online teaching were analyzed by analyzing a large research school in the United States [16]. Al Mamun, M. A. et al pointed out that the increase in online learning triggered a focus on online teaching strategies, and the study focused on the impact of embedded instruction on students' online learning and explored online students' learning approaches [17].…”

A New Normal: Pedagogical Implications for Physics and STEM Teaching and Learning in the Post-Pandemic Era

“…To further highlight some major changes in the higher education paradigm during the pandemic, in lecture-based classes, students expressed the ability to re-watch lectures, attend classes on time and see and hear instructors better from the comfort of their home as part of advantages of online classrooms [25]. On the other hand, it was especially difficult for first year college students to make that transition from high school if their learning experiences were online, as that limited the level of interactions and collaborations they could avail.…”