Students’ Responses to Emergency Remote Online Teaching Reveal Critical Factors for All Teaching

• Published in: Journal of chemical education Vol. 97; no. 9; pp. 2472 - 2485
• Main Authors: Jeffery, Kathleen A, Bauer, Christopher F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Easton American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc 08.09.2020; Division of Chemical Education, Inc; American Chemical Society
• Subjects: CAI; Change; Chemistry; Cognition; Cognitive Processes; College Science; College students; Communication networks; Computer assisted instruction; Electronic Learning; Emergency response; Exchanging; Hands on Science; Learner Engagement; Learning environment; Learning Motivation; Machine learning; Motivation; Online Courses; Online instruction; Organic Chemistry; Peer Relationship; Polls & surveys; Psychological Patterns; Science education; Science Laboratories; Student Attitudes; Student Motivation; Student participation; Student Reaction; Students; Studies; Synchronous Communication; Undergraduate Students; First-Year Undergraduate/General; Distance Learning/Self Instruction; Upper-Division Undergraduate; Hands-on Learning/Manipulatives; Laboratory Instruction; Collaborative/Cooperative Learning
• ISSN: 0021-9584; 1938-1328
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00736

Our goal was to understand how students’ chemistry learning environments changed and how students responded to the wholesale transition to online learning. We deployed surveys to students enrolled in nine undergraduate chemistry courses at all levels. Survey 1 was deployed 2 weeks post-transition (N = 208); Survey 2, a week before semester’s end (N = 124, 1/3 new responders). Survey 1 asked students to describe pre/post-transition class and laboratory; to report extra-class resource use; and to write about their engagement, emotions, and motivation for learning online. Survey 2 asked students to estimate pre/post-transition verbal exchanges on a typical day; to respond to Likert-style questions constructed from Survey 1 comments; and to describe challenges of learning chemistry online including what they missed about laboratory. Results show classes changed little from a traditional lecture while laboratories changed dramatically from decision-rich first-person experiences to suboptimal passive observation. Students were sorted into profiles, according to described challenges and their adaptive behaviors. Written comments and verbal exchange data show students lost rich peer communication networks which was deleterious to understanding and motivation to engage and persist. Unexpectedly, this study pointed out more clearly the importance of cognitive processing limitations, social dynamics, peer interaction, real-time discourse, and hands-on manipulation in any educational setting (in-person or online).