Learning, Course Satisfaction, and Community in the Time of COVID-19: Student Perceptions of the Switch to Emergency Remote Teaching

Abstract

This multiple descriptive case study explores how university students responded to their Business Communications course’s transitioning to an emergency remote course during the spring semester of 2020. Thirty-nine students completed an end-of-semester questionnaire that recorded their impressions of learning and course satisfaction. Nine of those students also participated in semi-structured interviews about these topics. The data revealed that most students enjoyed and felt they learned more from their in-person course, they missed learning from their peers, and they missed the community that was created during the in-person class sessions that were suspended due to university-sanctioned COVID-19 protocols. This article discusses the need for instructors to integrate continuous interactive community into online courses and the need for universities to provide training for online instructors in this essential component in course preparation and execution.

Measuring EFL Learners’ Satisfaction with Online Foreign Language Courses: An Empirical Study

“…Finally, they were undecided about the negative effect of online foreign languages on their socialization. In this context, Iluzada and Talbert (2022) pointed out that although most learners found their in-person courses enjoyable and informative, they expressed a longing for the camaraderie and collaborative learning that was absent when classes were moved online due to COVID-19 protocols. It was important to incorporate ongoing interactive community-building activities into online courses.…”

Resisting low engagement in collegiate aviation emergency remote teaching during the pandemic: an interpretive phenomenological analysis

“…In addition to favoring in-person courses, students tend to favor synchronous online courses as opposed to asynchronous alternatives, and students who do favor the asynchronous modality seem to prefer it due to its flexibility rather than a pure "learning style" preference (Bonnici et al, 2016). Some research has even found that students find their online courses less interesting than in-person courses and that students feel less motivated to succeed in online sections (Iluzada & Talbert, 2022). Also, it appears that students tend to be more critical of online teaching practices compared to those in brick-and-mortar courses (Iluzada & Talbert, 2022).…”

“…Some research has even found that students find their online courses less interesting than in-person courses and that students feel less motivated to succeed in online sections (Iluzada & Talbert, 2022). Also, it appears that students tend to be more critical of online teaching practices compared to those in brick-and-mortar courses (Iluzada & Talbert, 2022).…”

“…Couple these issues with the ordinary reluctance some students may have to speaking up in class in their in-person courses, and it is perhaps understandable why students did not engage on Zoom (Fouad et al, 2021). Iluzada and Talbert (2022) found that online courses which incorporate adequate social elements are capable of having student satisfaction equal to in-person formats. There have even been a few recent studies that examined course evaluations for ERT courses, showing that they compare favorably to prior in-person non-ERT courses (Arja et al, 2022).…”

“…Learning has been described as a fundamentally social process, and a frequent criticism of online courses is that students do not "learn apart from a community" (Iluzada & Talbert, 2022, p. 75). The literature indicates that students are more engaged in courses where they feel a social connection with others taking their course, and engagement increases student satisfaction and educational motivation, reduces isolation, and enhances student performance overall (Iluzada & Talbert, 2022). Early pandemic ERT courses at State University appeared to lack a robust academic community of inquiry.…”