Transition to Virtual Instruction

During the spring 2020 term, students and instructors were required to transition from in-person instruction to a distance learning mode. This transition occurred at the mid-point of the semester, moving from a face-to-face student-teacher interaction to a virtual instruction mode. While this transition was unexpected for students and instructors, it was also an opportunity to understand how student learning outcomes were affected and how students reacted to this change. Both lecture and laboratory courses were evaluated in this study, as well as lower-division and upper-division courses. Through a comparative survey, students were asked to evaluate the seven student learning outcomes articulated by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) during the face-to-face and virtual portions of the courses. Survey results showed that students rated their learning outcomes higher for face-to-face instruction for all course types and levels. The largest difference in how students rated their learning outcomes for before and after the transition to virtual instruction was seen for their ability to function effectively on a team. The smallest difference was seen for their ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions. Additionally, in a time in which our society required social distancing, students expressed that their biggest struggle was that they could not interact with other students.