The hasty transition to remote teaching had significant impacts on student experiences compared to typical online classes. This study analyzes student survey responses about COVID-19 emergency remote teaching to gauge student perceptions during and after the online transition. Various positive and negative themes emerged from coding these student responses. Some students did remark on the unexpected benefits of remote teaching, such as a more independent style of learning and flexible schedule. However, many of the responses discussed the difficulties of remote teaching that hindered student learning. The major challenge students faced with remote instruction was adjusting to the lack of face-to-face experiences, including physically working in the labs or interacting in person with other classmates and instructors. Remote teaching highlighted the importance of physical experiences and resources, especially when teaching STEM courses. Students also faced difficulties balancing their home and school life, learning with a lack of motivation, and working around faulty technology, all of which are crucial factors hindering student success. The student experiences coded and analyzed in this paper will help educators adapt their courses to student needs in future emergency teaching situations and inform future decisions on online and emergency remote student learning.

Student experiences and best practices for emergency remote teaching

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.