Survey Design for Evaluating Student Interaction in Face-to-Face and Online Learning Environment

ABSTRACT

Social learning is an important part of the college experience. With the rapid transition from face-to-face to online courses after COVID-19, the instructors were challenged with creating an online learning environment that supports social interaction for students. This project investigates the use of technology for interaction by the instructors, and how the students adapted technologies that allowed them to keep their interactions alive in the online courses. A 15-minute online survey was designed at a large engineering school in the southwestern United States. The undergraduate and graduate students in engineering who were enrolled in STEM courses in summer 2020 were invited to complete the survey at the end of the summer. Due to the online nature of the summer semester, this survey included separate questions for the students who took synchronous or asynchronous courses. The survey included both qualitative and quantitative questions. This research paper explains the survey design and the type of results obtained from the survey. To assess the student interaction with instructors/Teaching Assistants and with other students in online courses, the students answered questions related to (i) technology/platforms used by their instructor, (ii) methods used by their instructor, (iii) how the students adapted their interaction in the online environment, (iv) average time spent interacting each week, and (v) the satisfaction ratings on a Likert scale. For comparing with face-to-face courses (pre-COVID-19), the students were also asked to explain their interaction with instructors/Teaching Assistants and with other students in the face-to-face courses taken in fall 2019, and the average time spent interacting each week. The demographic questions included the student classification, engineering major, gender, ethnicity, the highest level of education completed by parents, and whether they were an international student. The results from this survey will play an important role in our understanding of how the students adapt from face-to-face courses to the online learning environment. Zoom and eCampus were the most commonly used tools for interaction in online courses. The virtual study groups and live interaction were widely used methods for students to interact with each other in online courses. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021