Camilla Ravnbøl
Abstract
Online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
This TLHE project reflects on university students’ experiences with learning through online courses during the covid-19 pandemic. In doing so, it aims to contribute towards strengthening future online university courses by including digital teaching methods that are supportive of the student’s learning process. The study of student’s perceptions of online learning is carried out in response to recent studies, which show a drop in students’ well-being during the pandemic lock-down and low satisfaction with online teaching compared to teaching ‘in-real-life (IRL). This minor study is not representative but provides qualitative insight into a small sample of experiences in order to discuss general issues of online learning. Data was collected amongst app. 40 students who participated in two online courses during spring semesters 2020 and 2021. Their experiences were gathered as written and anonymous feedback via three Padlets and one online mid-term survey (2021, SurveyXact). Written and anonymous feedback was supplemented with face-to-face feedback in the final course sessions. The students were asked questions concerning their experiences with different digital teaching methods (e.g. recorded videos, Padlets, break-out groups) as well as different online teaching formats (e.g. long online sessions vs. asynchronous teaching (outside class) with subsequent shorter in-class session). The results show that learning online can be very challenging compared to IRL sessions. Many students highlighted concerns with online fatigue as well as online-anxiety. They report being anxious to speak during plenary online sessions because they feel that everyone is watching them and that muted microphones in the audience create an overwhelming silence. This minor study concludes that online classes are most supportive of students learning processes when they are split into shorter slots to reduce online-fatigue, using different online teaching methods interchangeably (shift between lectures, groups, plenaries, watching video materials, writing on Padlets/polls etc.). Asynchronous teaching works to reduce zoom fatigue but with careful attention to not reducing the students’ possibilities for engaging with the course instructor. Allowing space for anonymous contributions and questions (e.g. via Padlet) as well as creating small ‘safe-discussion-groups’ helps to reduce online-anxiety.