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MCC Daily Tribune

IR's COVID-Era College-Wide Survey Results Section III: How the Pandemic Has Changed Students Academically

As I mentioned in my Trib post on July 7, I would be sharing the results of IR's COVID-Era College-Wide Survey throughout July and August.  The following is Section III of XI.

Note: Because I had a margin of error of +/-3%, the following results can be generalized to the larger population of people who were sent the survey. 

 

The respondents who were enrolled pre-COVID as well as in spring 2021 were asked how they’ve been affected by COVID.  Their biggest problems in spring 2021 were an inability to focus on classes and learn effectively.  They also experienced problems in their:

  • motivation                                                                                    
  • access to a quiet place to do homework                           
  • ability to keep up with homework
  • connections with faculty and peers
  • college plans

Students also perceive that fewer faculty now make themselves available, communicate clear expectations, and provide students with feedback.  On a personal level, students feel physically and emotionally unwell, feel more confused about where to get academic help, and have trouble balancing school with other responsibilities.

In order to uncover whether the pandemic was associated in changes in the amount of time students invest in their coursework, I asked them to indicate the number of hours per day they spent/spend studying or doing homework (not counting the time they were/are in class), both before the pandemic and now.  However, analyses revealed that students’ daily time investment in their coursework has not changed. 

When I looked at particular groups of students, however, I found that:

  • More males than females reported they now spend zero hours per day studying and doing homework.
  • Matriculated students now spend more time each day studying and doing homework than non-matrics.  Prior to the pandemic, one-quarter (24%) of matriculated students reported spending 5-10 hours a day studying and doing homework.  Now, nearly half of them (46%) report doing so.

I was also interested in gauging whether taking online classes during the pandemic affected respondents’ plans to take online classes in the future.  The results reveal that approximately 45% of students plan to take fewer or no online courses, but 25% plan to take the same amount.

In terms of differences between groups of respondents, I found that Student-Parents and older students (i.e., age 25+) plan to take the same number, more, or all online courses in the future, while Non-Parents and younger students (i.e., age 24 and under) plan to take fewer or no online courses.  Therefore, in terms of marketing to and recruiting prospective students, it is advisable that MCC keeps these differences in mind.

Mary Ann DeMario
Research
07/19/2021