"It's Nice to Mix Up the Rhythm”: Undergraduates' Experiences in a Large Blended Learning Course in Information Science in the Context of COVID-19

The abrupt transition to online instruction in the COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for instructors in information science to engage with new teaching and learning modalities. After their online semester (i.e., Spring 2020), some decided to utilize the insights they gained and offer blended-learning courses in the post-pandemic semester. In this mixed-methods study, we surveyed a sample of 388 students in a large undergraduate information science course that transitioned from online to blended learning: 212 students in the online offering and 176 students in the blended offering of the course. We compared students' experiences in online and blended learning modalities and examined their perspectives on the blended learning component. Our quantitative and qualitative analyses yielded mixed results. Findings showed students preferred blended learning over online learning. They perceived it to be more engaging and active and reported that it allowed more peer interaction. Students had mostly positive perspectives of the blended learning components. However, some offered feedback on improving attendance requirements for the online component of the blended learning. Others reported online fatigue following online instruction during the pandemic. We discuss the findings and offer suggestions for effectively incorporating blended instruction in large information science courses. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Student Perceptions of Social Support in the Transition to Emergency Remote Instruction

University courses around the world suddenly transitioned to emergency remote instruction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We study changes in students' experience of support from their instructors and peers in large lecture courses. Social support can act as an important resource for students and buffer against mental distress. We find that students experienced more support from instructors but less support from their peers after the transition to remote instruction. Remote learning was less active and involved fewer peer interactions, with synchronous classes resembling online office hours and students struggling to get help. Our findings suggest the need for additional resources to help students stay connected and facilitate collaboration online. © 2021 Owner/Author.