The impact of COVID-19 induced emergency remote instruction on students’ academic performance at an HBCU

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2020 forced universities to shut down their campuses and transition to emergency remote instruction (ERI). Students had to quickly adapt to this new mode of instruction while dealing with all other distractions caused by the pandemic. This study integrates extensive data from students’ institutional records at a large Historically Black College and University (HBCU) institution with data from a students’ survey about the impact of COVID-19 on learning during the Spring 2020 semester to examine the impact of the transition to ERI on students’ performance and identify the main factors explaining variations in students’ performance. The main findings of our analysis are: (a) students’ university experience was positively correlated with performance (continuing students who spent at least one academic year at the university prior to the outbreak had better performance than freshman and new transfer students), (b) students’ perceived change in performance after the transition was positively associated with actual performance (students who perceived a decline in their performance after transition to ERI had significantly worse performance than other students), and (c) students’ prior online learning experiences and students’ emotional experiences with the COVID-19 disease were not significantly associated with performance. These results suggest that the approaches adopted by higher education institutions to support students during times of crisis should pay special attention to certain groups of students.

Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Approach

“…Of these, learner characteristics, e.g., proactiveness, self-study ability, and compliance, are the most important factors [50]. The academic results of students who attended at least one academic year of face-to-face learning before the outbreak of the pandemic were better than students who started their studies online [51]. In another study on K-12 students, low-performing students showed greater improvements in performance than high-performing students, suggesting that online learning had different effects and narrowed the gap between lowand high-performing students [52].…”

COVID-19 prevention at institutions of higher education, United States, 2020–2021: implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions

“…Modalities of learning environment changes such as distanced seating configurations, hybrid schedules, and reduced class sizes are widely used to maximize in-person opportunities while minimizing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by decreasing student contact [ 34 – 38 ]. Notably, distance learning has been reported to create significant challenges for students, particularly those of low- and middle-income backgrounds or those who rely on on-campus facilities and services for accessible technology, quiet space, or stable housing [ 39 – 42 ]. Reasons for preference in learning method are complex and are beyond the scope of this research; however, factors such as logistic capabilities, funding, local politics, and perceptions of distance learning may have played roles in decision making [ 2 , 43 , 44 ].…”

COVID-19 Prevention at Institutions of Higher Education, United States, 2020 – 2021: Implementation of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions

“…Modalities of learning environment changes such as distanced seating configurations, hybrid schedules, and reduced class sizes are widely used to maximize in-person opportunities while minimizing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by decreasing student contact (30–34). Notably, distance learning has been reported to create significant challenges for students, particularly those of low- and middle-income backgrounds or those who rely on on-campus facilities and services for accessible technology, quiet space, or stable housing (35–38). Reasons for preference in learning method are complex and are beyond the scope of this research; however, factors such as logistic capabilities, funding, local politics, and perceptions of distance learning may have played roles in decision making (2, 39, 40).…”

“…Modalities of learning environment changes such as distanced seating configurations, hybrid schedules, and reduced class sizes are widely used to maximize in-person opportunities while minimizing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by decreasing student contact (30)(31)(32)(33)(34). Notably, distance learning has been reported to create significant challenges for students, particularly those of low-and middle-income backgrounds or those who rely on on-campus facilities and services for accessible technology, quiet space, or stable housing (35)(36)(37)(38).…”