In the Trenches: College Student Online/Remote Learning Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

• Bernard R. McCoy, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

Summer 7-2021

Citation

McCoy, B., (July, 2021). Journal of Media Education, 12(3), 18-41. In the Trenches: College Student Online/Remote Learning Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic

https://en.calameo.com/journal-of-media-education/read/0000917890e26169211e3

Comments

Published in the July, 2021 Journal of Media Education, Pages 18-41.

Abstract

A 2021 survey examined college student perceptions of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the survey, participants rated their online/remote class learning experiences during the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters.

The survey’s 500 respondents attended 30 colleges and universities in 22 U.S. states.

Before the pandemic began, just 3% of the respondents’ classes involved some form of online/remote learning 91-to-100% of the time. After the pandemic began, 64% of the respondents’ classes involved some form of online/remote learning 91-to-100% of the time.

Nearly 68% of the respondents indicated they learned less because of the shift to more online/remote learning during the pandemic. Four out of every five respondents found online/remote learning a lot more (50%) or a little more (29%) distracting than classroom learning. Even so, 52.5% of our survey respondents indicated they wanted online/remote learning options to remain where they were during the pandemic or increased when the pandemic ends.

Respondents said the top three advantages of online/remote earning included scheduling classes around jobs, saved time and money and less anxiety about the threat of the COVID-19 virus in their lives.