How did introductory psychology students experience the transition to remote online instruction amid the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City?

Abstract

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.

Remote online learning outcomes in introductory psychology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“…This study aimed to shed light on factors contributing to college students’ success in learning online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on our previous work (Ober, Brodsky, Lodhi, & Brooks, 2021), we focused on Introductory Psychology as it is a popular general education course enrolling mostly first-year college students (Gurung et al, 2016). After the abrupt transition to remote online instruction in Spring 2020, the department shifted all course sections for the Fall 2020 semester from a traditional lecture-based format to a fully online format based on open educational resources (OERs) and self-paced asynchronous assignments.…”

“…Students answered the following open-ended question about challenges to online learning from Ober, Brodsky, Lodhi, and Brooks (2021): “ What are some of the challenges that you are encountering with online learning? This may include, for example, slow Internet, too many people needing to use the computer, etc.…”

Different Coping Patterns among US Graduate and Undergraduate Students during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Machine Learning Approach

“…Despite the positive effects of school closure on reducing the spread of COVID-19, the disruption in learning and the rapid transition to online instruction have inflicted elevated stress, anger, fear, and uncertainty on students across the country. University students, in particular, faced unprecedented and unpredictable difficulties during the pandemic [5,13,14]. In response to the school closure regulations, colleges and universities across the United States abruptly terminated in-person instructions and activities and started transitioning to synchronous and/or asynchronous online learning [5,15].…”

“…University students also vastly reported psychological distress due to academic difficulties and social isolation. Students were experiencing challenges staying motivated and focused on academics, maintaining emotional well-being, feeling exhausted and generally more cynicism, and decreasing in self-efficacy [13,14,25,26]. Underrepresented minority students also held more negative attitudes towards the transition and experienced more difficulties in submitting online assignments at specific times [14].…”

“…Students were experiencing challenges staying motivated and focused on academics, maintaining emotional well-being, feeling exhausted and generally more cynicism, and decreasing in self-efficacy [13,14,25,26]. Underrepresented minority students also held more negative attitudes towards the transition and experienced more difficulties in submitting online assignments at specific times [14]. Students reported higher anxiety and distress in general, decreased social engagement and connection with peers, professors, and the college community, lack of motivation, and decreased maintenance in healthy habits such as exercising regularly, eating healthy, and sleeping routinely [13,26,27].…”