College Student Transition to Synchronous Virtual Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeastern United States

Laurie Murphy; Nina B. Eduljee; Karen Croteau

doi:10.29333/pr/8485

Full Text (PDF)

Laurie Murphy ¹ ^* , Nina B. Eduljee ¹, Karen Croteau ¹

More Detail

¹ Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, Standish, ME, USA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study examined undergraduate college students’ perceptions, general preferences, emotional responses, and comment themes with the transition to a virtual learning classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic from a college in the northeast United States. A total of 148 students (44 males, 104 females) completed an 18-item transition to virtual classes survey. Students indicated that their professors utilized the Learning Management System effectively with virtual coursework, and that their professors adapted and communicated changes in course content during the transition, while indicating their preferences that professors communicate changes in course syllabi or schedule in a timely manner, and that both course syllabi and grades be available on the Learning Management System. Students expressed negative emotions like uncertainty, anxiety, and nervousness when transitioning to virtual classes. Four open-ended questions generated six comment themes with students indicating the need for constant communication, the use of the learning management system, leveraging technology, instructor support, flexibility and characteristics, classroom engagement, and course management.

Keywords

undergraduate college students
virtual classes
learning management system
emotional responses
COVID-19
pandemic

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

PEDAGOGICAL RES, Volume 5, Issue 4, October 2020, Article No: em0078

https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/8485

Publication date: 29 Aug 2020

Article Views: 6371

Article Downloads: 2501

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Active Minds. (2020, April 10). COVID-19 impact on college student mental health. Retrieved from https://www.activeminds.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Student-Survey-Infographic.pdf
Armstrong, D. A. (2011). Students’ perceptions of online learning and instructional tools: A qualitative study of undergraduate students use of online tools. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(3), 222-226. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ944973.pdf
Artino, A. R. (2010). Online or face-to-face learning? Exploring the personal factors that predict students’ choice of instructional format. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(4), 272-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.07.005
Astani, M., Ready, K. J., & Duplaga, E. A. (2010). Online course experience matters: Investigating students’ perceptions of online learning. Issues in Information Systems, 11(2), 14-21.
Bao, W. (2020). COVID-19 and online teaching in higher education: A case study of Peking University. Human Behavior and Emerging Technology, 2, 113-115. https://doi.org/10/1002/hbe2.191
Basilaia, G., & Kvavadze, D. (2020). Transition to online education in schools during a SARS-CoV2 Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Georgia. Pedagogical Research, 5(4), em0060. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/7937
Brown, S., & Kafka, A. C. (2020, May 11). COVID-19 has worsened the student mental-health crisis. Can resilience training fix it? The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/COVID-19-Has-Worsened-the/248753
Burki, T. K. (2020). COVID-19: consequences for higher education. The Lancet Oncology, 21(6), 758. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30287-4
Centers for Disease Control. (2020, May 11). Coronavirus disease (COVID19) cases in the U.S. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html
Chaw, L. Y., & Tang, C. M. (2018). What makes Learning Management Systems effective for learning? Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 47(2), 152-169. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239518795828
Concannon, F., Flynn, A., & Campbell, M. (2005). What campus-based students think about quality and benefits of e-learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(3), 501-512. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2005.00482.x
Crawford, J., Butler-Henderson, K., Rudolph, J., Malkawi, B., Glowatz, M., Burton, R., Magni, P., & Lam, S. (2020). COVID-19: 20 countries’ higher education intra-period digital pedagogy responses. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 3(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2020.3.1.7
Dahlstrom, E., Brooks, D. C., & Bichsel, J. (2014). The Current Ecosystem of Learning Management Systems in Higher Education: Student, Faculty, and IT Perspectives. Research report. Louisville, CO: ECAR. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ecar
Dennon, A. (2020). Coronavirus and the student mental health crisis. Retrieved from https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/coronavirus-and-student-mental-health-crisis/
Efuribe, C., Barre-Hemingway, M., Vaghefi, E., & Suleiman, A. B. (2020). Coping with the COVID-19 crisis: A call for youth engagement and the inclusion of young people in matters that affect their lives. Journal of Adolescent Health, S1054-139X:30185-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.04.009
Hara, N., & Kling, R. (2000). Student distress in a web-based distance education course. Information, Communication & Society, 3(4), 557-579. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v4i12.710
Hechinger, J., & Lorin, J. (2020, March 19). Coronavirus Forces $600 Billion Higher Education Industry Online. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-19/colleges-are-going-online-because-of-the-coronavirus
Huss, J., & Eastep, S. (2013). The perceptions of students toward online learning at a midwestern University: What are students telling us and what are we doing about It? Inquiry in Education, 4(2), 1-20. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol4/iss2/5
IBM Corp. (2017). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
John, A. (2020, March 25). Increased anxiety and depression top college students’ concerns in coronavirus survey. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-25/college-students-anxiety-depression-coronavirus-survey
Johnson, R. (2020, March 9). Students stressed out due to Coronavirus, New Survey Finds. Retrieved from https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/coronavirus-survey/
Lee, K. (2020). Coronavirus: universities are shifting classes online - but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-universities-are-shifting-classes-online-but-its-not-as-easy-as-it-sounds-133030
Lim, M. (2020, March 20). Educating despite the COVID-19 outbreak: lessons from Singapore. Retrieved from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/educating-despite-COVID-19-outbreak-lessons-singapore
Mansfield, M. (2019, September 12). The best learning management systems in higher education. Retrieved from https://pagely.com/blog/learning-management-systems-in-higher-education/
Mohammed, A., Kumar, S., Maina, B., & Shuaibu, A. (2017). E-learning: A tool for enhancing teaching and learning in educational institutions. International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technologies (IJCSIT), 8(2), 217-221.
Mtebe, J. S. (2015). Learning management system success: Increasing learning management system usage in higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 11(2), 51-64. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1074158.pdf
Quality Matters. (2020, March 13). QM Emergency Remote Instruction Checklist. Retrieved from https://www.qualitymatters.org/qa-resources/resource-center/articles-resources/ERI-Checklist
Ralph, N. (n.d.). Perspectives: COVID-19, and the future of higher education. Retrieved from http://onlinelearningsurvey.com/COVID.html
Reynolds, K., & Friedel, J. N. (2018). Policies of midwest community colleges around communicating grades to students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 42(7-8), 574-576. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2018.1429960
Rhea, K. (2020, April 16). 4,000-Plus U.S. higher ed institutions impacted by COVID-19: More than 25 million students affected. Campus Technology. Retrieved from https://campustechnology.com/articles/2020/04/16/4000-plus-us-higher-ed-institutions-impacted-by-COVID19-more-than-25-million-students-affected.aspxs
Rumore, M. M. (2016) The course syllabus: Legal contract or operator’s manual? American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 80(10), 177. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.gov/28179726/
Sahu, P. (2020). Closure of universities due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Impact on education and mental health of students and academic staff. Cureus, 12(4), e7541. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.7541
Schuchat, A. (2020). Public health response to the initiation and spread of pandemic COVID-19 in the United States, February 24-April 21, 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, 69(18), 551-566. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6918e2.htm
Smart, K. L., & Cappel, J. J. (2006). Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning: A Comparative Study. Journal of Information Technology Education Research, 5, 201-219. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/101752
Sustaining higher education and sustaining Maine: A framework for reopening Maine’s colleges and universities in fall 2020. (2020, June 2). Maine.edu. Retrieved from https://www.maine.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2020/06/Higher-Ed-reopening-statewide-Accessible-SHARE-6.2.20.pdf
Toquero, C. M. (2020). Challenges and opportunities for higher education amid the COVID-19 pandemic: The Philippine context. Pedagogical Research, 5(4), em0063. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/7947
Viner, R. M., Russell, S. J., Croker, H., Packer J., Ward, J., Stansfield, C., Mytton, O., Bonnell, C., & Booy, R. (2020). School closure and management practices during coronavirus outbreaks including COVID-19: a rapid systematic review. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, 4, 397-404. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30095-X
Weiler, S. C. (2012). Quality virtual instruction: The use of synchronous online activities to engage international students in meaningful learning. Journal of International Education and Leadership, 2(2), 1-8. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1136051.pdf
Yalman, M., Başaran, B., & Gönen, S. (2016). Attitudes of students taking distance education in theology undergraduate education program towards e-learning management system. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 4(7), 1708-1717. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2016.040724
Zhai, Y., & Du, X. (2020). Addressing collegiate mental health amid COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Research, 288, 113003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113003

How to cite this article

APA

Murphy, L., Eduljee, N. B., & Croteau, K. (2020). College Student Transition to Synchronous Virtual Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeastern United States. Pedagogical Research, 5(4), em0078. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/8485

Vancouver

Murphy L, Eduljee NB, Croteau K. College Student Transition to Synchronous Virtual Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeastern United States. PEDAGOGICAL RES. 2020;5(4):em0078. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/8485

AMA

Murphy L, Eduljee NB, Croteau K. College Student Transition to Synchronous Virtual Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeastern United States. PEDAGOGICAL RES. 2020;5(4), em0078. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/8485

Chicago

Murphy, Laurie, Nina B. Eduljee, and Karen Croteau. "College Student Transition to Synchronous Virtual Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeastern United States". Pedagogical Research 2020 5 no. 4 (2020): em0078. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/8485

Harvard

Murphy, L., Eduljee, N. B., and Croteau, K. (2020). College Student Transition to Synchronous Virtual Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeastern United States. Pedagogical Research, 5(4), em0078. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/8485

MLA

Murphy, Laurie et al. "College Student Transition to Synchronous Virtual Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeastern United States". Pedagogical Research, vol. 5, no. 4, 2020, em0078. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/8485