The COVID-19 outbreak required a pivot to remote education mid-semester. Instructors and students alike were forced to adjust to the online platform even though many lacked the training or interest to do so. This qualitative study focused on the following research question: How did satellite campus students from a university in the United States perceive their educational experience was affected by the alternative educational offerings put into place during the COVID-19 campus closure of March 2020? The results suggest that students (n = 106) perceived barriers would affect their educational experiences. All of the barriers, including barriers to social presence and decreased self-regulation, were driven by one central theme: low self-efficacy. Students believed that online instruction would result in decreased social presence and an inability to self-regulate. To tailor effective approaches to online learning in the future, we must give instructors the tools they need to not only move materials online but also enhance student self-efficacy.

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