Student Post-Pandemic Perceptions of Supplemental Instructional Videos

With the structural shift in education due to the pandemic, worldwide educators adapted by a variety of methods, including a change to the course delivery method. Many universities closed and/or moved to wholly online delivery. With the online video formats, either synchronous or asynchronous, faculty were able to create a library of videos which could be later used as a tool. This new collection of videos could be used for asynchronous delivery or online courses, or as supplemental instructional videos. A survey was conducted to determine student perceptions of supplemental instructional videos. Supplemental instructional videos were available pre-pandemic by individual instructors and publishers. Instructors may have offered videos through a Learning Management System (LMS) or a streaming platform. These types of videos vary from general topic overviews to course specific content. Certain types of courses and content have long been identified as appropriate for online delivery, like software-based courses. However, instructors have been slow to adopt online delivery for hands-on laboratory exercises or architectural studios. Because of this post-pandemic paradigm shift, there is an opportunity to identify the associated shift in student perceptions. A survey instrument was developed to assess student perceptions about supplemental instructional videos. All of the students surveyed are enrolled in courses which provide supplemental instructional videos through their LMS. The survey was not limited to perceptions about current courses. Students across engineering, engineering technology, and architecture disciplines were asked about their perceptions of supplemental instructional videos made available through LMS. The LMS collects analytical data about usage, and depending on the LMS, precisely how much and which portions of a video were viewed by students. The survey included demographic questions in addition to questions about experience with online learning and supplemental instructional videos. Students surveyed included all levels of undergraduate students and graduate students from two universities in different states. Students are generally split in their preference for online or face-to-face delivery methods. About two-thirds of the respondents had been exposed to supplemental instructional videos. Similar to completely online courses, respondents identified reasons that supplemental instructional videos were a good resource, which included the lack of time constraints and the ability to watch and re-watch the videos. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.

COVID-19 Impacts on Architecture Educators in India- A review of gender perceptions

The majority of the academic institutions across the globe transitioned education delivery to alternate methods, irrespective of specializations, in response to the pandemic. However, very little is explored regarding how architecture educators perceive the Online Learning Environment (OLE) transition impacts based on gender differences. The need for such a study emerges as the literature indicates that women are more impacted than males during natural disasters, which might include a pandemic. The unit of analysis for the study was architecture educators in India. India was purposely selected as it is one of the top three countries globally from the perspective of enrolled university students. The study explored the impacts of the OLE transition among architecture educators as per gender in India. An online survey method was used to allow adequate data collection during a pandemic. The developed online instrument was hosted on Qualtrics. The developed online instrument was pilot tested by education experts in India. The instrument was emailed to the deans of more than 450 architecture colleges in India for dissemination among the educators affiliated with the institutions. In addition, the research team used interpersonal channels such as Whatsapp for instrument distribution. Two follow-up emails were sent to increase the response rate. The survey instrument was disseminated in March and April 2021, one year after the pandemic had impacted globally, also the timeframe when the pandemic started to severely impact India. The study used 165 complete responses from architecture educators. Approximately 59% of the respondents identified themselves as females. Further, most of the respondents had a Master's degree as a terminal degree. The study identified perception differences of COVID-19 impact on architecture educators. The study found that female educators had less experience with OLE and were less aware of the resources available at the University and institute levels before the impact of COVID-19. At the same time, a higher number of male educators indicated a negative productivity impact than their female counterparts. Finally, agreement among genders could be observed in the areas of administration monitoring online teaching, factors impacting the productivity of the architecture educators, and concerns about working from home. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.

Can Soil Mechanics laboratory courses use tools and lessons from online learning to enhance in-person laboratory experiences?

During and immediately after the Covid-19 pandemic, faculty and students were pushed into online learning resources in ways that were not previously encountered. Faculty identified methods to produce laboratory exercises through distance learning, and these tools are still available as universities return to in-person classes. In our in-person soil mechanics laboratory courses, faculty are now using these previously developed online learning resources to supplement and enhance our traditional hands-on laboratory exercise. To determine how these new tools affect learning, an anonymous survey instrument was developed. Existing analytical data from Learning Management Systems (LMS) and grades were used to determine how student learning has changed. This research focuses on soils mechanics laboratory exercises which are traditionally considered difficult to execute online. The survey instrument collects demographic information specifically inquiring about representation from historically marginalized groups in order to study whether instructional changes equitably impact these groups. In addition, respondents are asked for their perceptions of online, flipped, and in-person course delivery methods. A more specific question asks about internet connectivity which can correlate with financial status or location and can impact how these instructional changes affect students. The survey enquires about student experience with online laboratory exercises, especially in soils mechanics. Since returning to in-person classes, student perceptions of online courses have evolved. Students report that online content has many positives, like watching videos multiple times or at their own pace. Conversely, students have repeatedly stated a strong preference to in-person delivery of content. Students have adapted to post-pandemic changes, specifically the availability of online course content and appreciate the opportunities to use video content as a supplement to other more traditional tools. Anecdotally, faculty have found that student interactions with pre-recorded lab videos have increased their depth of understanding of soil lab testing and soil mechanics properties. Faculty have also observed students investing more time outside of class, using the videos to inform questions asked in class and office hours. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.

Construction Education Delivery Method Changes During COVID-19: Student Perspectives

The paper examines students' perspectives that impact the student learning activities' transition due to COVID-19. The study seeks to determine how face-to-face or in-person teaching to nontraditional or online methods has affected the student, particularly in the construction program. Additionally, as construction courses typically include labs and capstone projects, it is essential to determine how these courses were delivered as the programs transitioned to the online mediums. The research study compares content delivery before and during COVID-19. The survey questions are used to determine the challenges students face in accessing the course management system, familiarizing themselves, and being satisfied with the course management system, and student's satisfaction with the instructors' delivery of the course content. Online survey instruments were created to circulate among construction students to a) evaluate the student learning experience during COVID-19 and b) identify student adaptation of content delivery during COVID-19. The students' perspectives are analyzed with the challenges faced by the students. The survey results will be used to assist faculty in identifying construction curriculum requirements based on the student's perceived ability to learn for any future move to online learning, either due to weather or illness. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

COVID-19 Effects on Student Internships in the Construction Industry: Experiences from Georgia and Oklahoma

This research project is to determine how the student internships have been affected by the COVID-19. The paper examines student internships in the construction industry experiences from Georgia and Oklahoma. This research evaluates internship requirements, the challenge of getting internships, safety measures in the work environment, and identifies construction experience perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were surveyed to provide information about how internships have been affected during this time. The results of the survey are used to predict how future economic changes would affect internships. An online survey instrument was created to circulate among construction students to a) evaluate internships experience during COVID-19, b) identify adaptation of working environment in the office and field, c) use of additional safety measures, d) identify any project changes due to COVID-19, and e) describe their role of the COVID-19 response team. The results of the student internships activity are analyzed to examine the changes associated with their previous internships before COVID-19 versus their internship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two states, Georgia and Oklahoma, are compared with students' respondent perspectives. Additionally, insights into external views of the media or political background are identified in the students' responses. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

Student Internships during Times of Pandemic: A Historical View of Pandemics, Recession and Their Effect on Education

With the current pandemic, a potential recession is also occurring. Considering the “Great Recession” of 2007-2010, student enrollments went up while taxpayer support to public universities fell. Also associated with these changes was the increase in unemployment which correlates with the increase in enrollment. Non-traditional students (not typical recent high school graduates) return to college as jobs become more difficult to find. In a thorough review of the American Society of Engineering Education archives, there is little about any correlation between job placement and the Great Recession. Internships are a part of many construction, engineering, and architecture degree programs. These might be mandatory for course credit or strongly encouraged, yet voluntary, during college. Internships could also be mandatory for professional credentials after graduation. Little research is available to identify any correlation between internship placement and recessions. Anecdotal relationships between recessions and internships have been reported. With the current economic situation associated with the Covid pandemic, there is an opportunity to identify changes that occur in the construction industry. A thorough review of existing literature is performed. To determine the change in internship employment, a survey instrument was created. Respondents shared their perspective about gaining a summer internship this summer as compared to previous years. A comparison of recent salary data and career fair data was used to identify any economic changes which have occurred. This research seeks to define the relationship between the university, industry, and student and how it was affected by Covid. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

Responding to the COVID Pandemic: Results and Reflections on RoundTable Discussions at ASEE 2020

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Construction Engineering division of ASEE hosted two round-table discussions at the 2020 international conference. The first session, titled "COVID in the Spring" was aimed at sharing stories of success and challenge from the spring transition to online teaching and learning. The second session titled "COVID in the Fall" asked participants to share plans and concerns about the fall 2020 semester. One hundred and ninety-six ASEE members representing 122 institutions attended these sessions, exceeding our expectations and providing a broad disciplinary perspective. This paper summarizes the themes that emerged from these discussions in order to memorialize the state of matters within engineering education at the height of this monumental experience of our time. Included is a contextual reflection on the themes that were identified from a perspective eight months after the conference. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021