IR-MFF, Issue 08-2021: Was there a change in undergraduate students’ experience with remote learning from Fall 2020 to Spring 2021?
Institutional Research Monthly-Friday Fact (IR-MFF), Issue 08-2021
Office of the Provost, Nazarbayev University
Was there a change in undergraduate students’ experience with remote learning from Fall 2020 to Spring 2021?
In Fall 2020, a major survey on NU students’ experience revealed that undergraduate students struggled to adjusted to remote learning (RL). Consequently, NU implemented a variety of mechanisms to improve students’ RL experience. The present (longitudinal) analysis examines whether there was a change in RL experience from Fall 2020 to Spring 2021. The analysis uses data on over 1000 first- and fourth-year undergraduate students who participated in student surveys in both Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.
Figures 1 and 2 highlight changes in RL adaptation and satisfaction for fourth- and first-year undergraduate students, respectively. Figure 1 suggests that fourth-year students’ RL adaptation and satisfaction improved substantially from the beginning to the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. For instance, the percent of fourth-year students who indicated that they adapted “well” or “very well” doubled (at least) from Fall to Spring; and a sharp increase occurred along each of the four indicators of satisfaction with RL.
Figure 2 presents a somewhat mixed picture for first-year undergraduate students. Perception of the level of RL adaptation increased (albeit less substantially than that observed for fourth-year students); however, it remained problematic (with less than half of the first-year respondents still reporting that they had adapted “well” or “very well”). Satisfaction with instructors’ support and with the quality of courses improved as well. Satisfaction with overall NU support (generically defined), however, declined (and it is unclear why that was the case).
| Overall, there was an increase in the level of RL adaptation/satisfaction from Fall 2020 to Spring 2021, an indication that the mechanisms implemented in response to the Fall 2020 RL Survey results had a positive impact on students’ experiences. The improvement, however, was much more substantial for fourth-year students (who, incidentally, also had lower levels of adaptation/satisfaction at the baseline) compared to first-year students. |
We invite you to write to IR (ir@nu.edu.kz) and (1) share your thoughts and experiences relative to the topic under discussion in this IR-MFF issue and/or (2) suggest a question/topic that you would like us to address in a future issue of the IR-MFF.
The IR-MFF is published every last Friday of the month (August through November and January through April). Depending on circumstances, it can be published before or after the last Friday of the month. Analyses are limited to 300 words or less (narrative text) and one or two graphs/tables. If you need more detailed information (methodological or otherwise), please contact Institutional Research and Analytics at ir@nu.edu.kz.
