Options for Online Undergraduate Courses in Biology at American Colleges and Universities

Varty, Alison K.

doi:10.1187/cbe.16-01-0075

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…It appears that an analogous problem is arising with regard to online education. The number of courses offered online was notably increasing before the COVID-19 pandemic, with some STEM bachelor's degrees being offered completely online (Allen and Seaman, 2013;Varty, 2016;Cooper et al, 2019;Mead et al, 2020). Studies have shown that students with disabilities feel as though they have less overall support and fewer accommodations for their disabilities in online courses compared with their in-person courses (Terras et al, 2015(Terras et al, , 2020.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and Undergraduates with Disabilities: Challenges Resulting from the Rapid Transition to Online Course Delivery for Students with Disabilities in Undergraduate STEM at Large-Enrollment Institutions

Gin

Guerrero

Brownell

et al. 2021

LSE

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and Undergraduates with Disabilities: Challenges Resulting from the Rapid Transition to Online Course Delivery for Students with Disabilities in Undergraduate STEM at Large-Enrollment Institutions

Gin

Guerrero

Brownell

et al. 2021

LSE

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“…Online learning makes higher education more accessible to a wider range of individuals as it creates educational opportunities that are free of time and geographic constraints (Varty, 2016). HESA data shows overall a higher number of females enroll on higher education courses; this trend is also seen in online providers e.g., The Open University, who reported a higher proportion of female to male students ratio in 2019/20 (The Open University, 2021).…”

Section: Social Media Usagementioning

confidence: 99%

Post-COVID-19 Adaptations; the Shifts Towards Online Learning, Hybrid Course Delivery and the Implications for Biosciences Courses in the Higher Education Setting

et al. 2021

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The Covid-19 pandemic has created challenges and caused disruption across the Higher Education sector; university campuses closed, and face-to-face teaching and assessment shifted to an online format. Learning from our students’ experience during this period will help us shape future hybrid delivery so that it best fits Bioscience students. This pedagogical study explored Aston University’s Bioscience students’ experiences of studying from home, and the impact of the lockdown on mental wellbeing and quality of life. 151 students completed an online survey during August 2020, which included open and closed questions. Analysis of survey data revealed that a majority of students reported positive experiences of online open-book assessments and most would welcome this format in the future. The majority of students faced no technical issues, predominantly stating that they also had good internet connectivity. Shifting to remote learning and online classrooms uncovered conflicting preferences; despite wanting more interactive lectures, only half of the students were comfortable interacting using video cameras. Free text responses provided an insight into how some students reported an inadequate home working space/environment and lacked necessary items such as a desk, highlighting how remote working may intensify social and digital inequality - particularly for students from more deprived households. Wider detrimental experiences of lockdown included dissatisfaction with access to healthcare, decreased concentration, sleeping difficulties and a decline in mental wellbeing. Education strategies going forward will need to address the mental health needs of students who have suffered during the pandemic. Our university, amongst others, is embracing hybrid course delivery, which could offer a solution to ensuring Bioscience students receive hands-on laboratory experience and face-to-face contact to remain motivated and benefit from the on-campus facilities and support, whilst allowing students some of the flexibility afforded by remote study. In the current competitive higher education market where student retention is key, it is important to consider student demographics and digital equity to ensure an appropriate approach is applied to cater for all students.

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“…Because fully online education removes many of the constraints imposed by a brick and mortar location, it has enormous potential to increase access to students who may otherwise not be able to pursue a college degree [ 3 ]. First, online education could increase access for higher education for students who live in education deserts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online biology degree program broadens access for women, first-generation to college, and low-income students, but grade disparities remain

et al. 2020

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Online education has grown rapidly in recent years with many universities now offering fully online degree programs even in STEM disciplines. These programs have the potential to broaden access to STEM degrees for people with social identities currently underrepresented in STEM. Here, we ask to what extent is that potential realized in terms of student enrollment and grades for a fully online degree program. Our analysis of data from more than 10,000 course-enrollments compares student demographics and course grades in a fully online biology degree program to demographics and grades in an equivalent in-person biology degree program at the same university. We find that women, first-generation to college students and students eligible for federal Pell grants constitute a larger proportion of students in the online program compared to the in-person mode. However, the online mode of instruction is associated with lower course grades relative to the in-person mode. Moreover, African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander students as well as federal Pell grant eligible students earned lower grades than white students and non-Pell grant eligible students, respectively, but the grade disparities were similar among both in-person and online student groups. Finally, we find that grade disparities between men and women are larger online compared to in-person, but that for first-generation to college women, the online mode of instruction is associated with little to no grade gap compared to continuing generation women. Our findings indicate that although this online degree program broadens access for some student populations, inequities in the experience remain and need to be addressed in order for online education to achieve its inclusive mission.

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Options for Online Undergraduate Courses in Biology at American Colleges and Universities

Cited by 20 publications

References 20 publications

COVID-19 and Undergraduates with Disabilities: Challenges Resulting from the Rapid Transition to Online Course Delivery for Students with Disabilities in Undergraduate STEM at Large-Enrollment Institutions

COVID-19 and Undergraduates with Disabilities: Challenges Resulting from the Rapid Transition to Online Course Delivery for Students with Disabilities in Undergraduate STEM at Large-Enrollment Institutions

Post-COVID-19 Adaptations; the Shifts Towards Online Learning, Hybrid Course Delivery and the Implications for Biosciences Courses in the Higher Education Setting

Online biology degree program broadens access for women, first-generation to college, and low-income students, but grade disparities remain

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