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Evaluating Students’ Attitudes Towards Synchronous Remote Course Delivery: An Analysis of Engineering Programs during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US and EU

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Committee on Educational Policy Presents: Pillars of Professional Development

Tagged Division

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

Page Count

15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43430

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/43430

Download Count

112

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Paper Authors

biography

Zsuzsa Balogh Metropolitan State University of Denver

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Professor
Associate Chair, Department of Engineering and Engineering Technology

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biography

Zita Mangné Kardos University of Pécs, Hungary, EU

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PhD student at University of Pécs, Hungary, EU

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biography

Tamas Juhasz University of Pecs, Hungary, EU

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PhD Student at University of Pecs, Hungary, EU

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an expedited adaptation of engineering higher education programs to remote teaching and learning. However, little is understood about attitudes towards such remote teaching initiatives, including its perceived advantages and disadvantages and its effect on the ability to acquire knowledge and succeed academically, ability to adapt to changing or complex circumstances, and quality of student-to-student interactions, among other things. Many engineering students continue to work while receiving their degrees, revealing emerging student needs related to remote learning, such as by reducing or eliminating commute time to campus and its associated environmental impact and financial costs. Using a survey design, a study was conducted to evaluate students’ experiences with and perceptions of the remote-synchronous course delivery method during the COVID-19 pandemic across multiple programs, including engineering and architecture, at two universities, one in the US and one in the EU. This paper provides an assessment of a selection of these experiences and perceptions by program type, program level, and institution. A non-parametric statistical analysis is conducted with ordinal variables using SPSS-based data analysis. At the institutional level, some variation in learning experiences for MSU Denver and University of Pécs students is found. While the results suggest no significant differences in students’ level of motivation or the perception of remote labs as being successfully conducted between the MSU Denver and the University of Pécs, the students at University of Pécs did generally place greater importance of student-to-student interactions for positive learning outcomes than MSU Denver students. At the program level, aggregating both institutions, no significant differences between undergraduate and graduate students’ experiences were found for any of the measured outcomes. The findings provide evidence-based recommendations for departments considering different course delivery methods. The results suggest that student perception can be improved by increasing the effectiveness of remote laboratories and by providing opportunities for student-to-student interactions in the remote learning environment. These recommendations seek to increase the resilience of engineering education by enhancing its preparedness for natural disasters, pandemics, energy crises, wars, or other unexpected circumstances.

Balogh, Z., & Mangné Kardos, Z., & Juhasz, T. (2023, June), Evaluating Students’ Attitudes Towards Synchronous Remote Course Delivery: An Analysis of Engineering Programs during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US and EU Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43430

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