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

TL;DR

This study analyzes student perceptions of various remote learning strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large US university, highlighting effective practices and challenges across different instructional formats.

Contribution

It provides insights into student experiences with diverse remote teaching approaches, informing future online and hybrid course design.

Findings

Students valued low-stakes assessments and community activities.

Grade incentives motivated out-of-class and in-class engagement.

Different instructional strategies impacted collaboration and communication.

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.