The greater flexibility and accessibility of virtual learning is prompting some post-secondary students to seek out virtual classes and forcing universities to rethink how they structure online degrees, including science courses that depend on in-person laboratories, practicums, co-ops and residences.
05/13/21
In a recent survey, nearly three-quarters of students 73 percent said they would prefer to take some of their courses fully online post-pandemic. However, only half of faculty (53 percent) felt the same about teaching online. The fourth and final installment of Cengage s Digital Learning Pulse Survey, conducted by Bay View Analytics on behalf of the Online Learning Consortium, WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies, University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and Canadian Digital Learning Research Association, polled 1,469 students and 1,286 faculty and administrators across 856 United States institutions about how higher education is changing in the wake of COVID-19.
Sixty-eight percent of students were also in favor of some combination of in-person and online courses. On the faculty side, 57 percent said they would prefer teaching hybrid courses post-pandemic slightly more than those who preferred teaching fully online.
The survey includes responses from 772 teaching faculty, 514 academic administrators and 1,413 students who were registered at a U.S. higher education institution for both the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. The results will be discussed in a Cengage webcast tomorrow.
The majority of students, 73 percent, somewhat or strongly (46 percent) agreed that they would like to take some fully online courses in the future. A slightly smaller number of students, 68 percent, indicated they would be interested in taking courses offering a combination of in-person and online instruction.
For in-person courses, 68 percent of students strongly or somewhat agreed that they would like to see greater use of technology. The use of digital materials and digital resources was also popular, with 67 percent indicating they would like to see an increase in usage of these materials.
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BOSTON, April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ The higher education industry navigated many challenges over the last year, including the transition to online learning. As students, faculty and administrators reflect on the last year, the majority actually give pandemic learning a decent grade. In fact, more students gave pandemic learning an A grade, while more faculty and administrators gave it a B grade, according to the fourth and final installment of the Digital Learning Pulse Survey, a four-part series to better understand the needs of colleges during COVID-19.
Pandemic Era Report Card: Digital Learning Pulse Survey results show college students give decent grades for pandemic learning, are positive about online learning post-pandemic