During a virtual discussion last week, New York University’s (NYU) Learning Analytics Research Network (LEARN) highlighted data from its most recent study focused on students’ experiences with remote learning during the 2020 spring semester.
Almost 300 undergraduate and graduate students from 50 universities participated in the “College in the Time of Corona” survey between late March and early May.
As the COVID-19 pandemic shifted in-person courses to virtual platforms, claims were made that it was a “great experiment for online learning,” said Dr. Yoav Bergner, a core faculty member of LEARN.
However, he disagreed.
“This was hardly a well-designed experiment to see the potential of online learning,” said Bergner, who is also an assistant professor of learning sciences and education technology at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. “What it was, was a rather abrupt and shocking event that forced people into a place that they weren’t prepared to be in. So what we wanted to understand was not ‘is this a good alternative method for learning’ but ‘what is the experience that’s happening?’”
The presentation began with pictures of sweatshirts that read “Zoom University,” a joke created by students across social media.
“As someone who works in online learning, I was quick to say, ‘well, online learning isn’t all about Zoom,’” said Dr. Alyssa Wise, director of LEARN and associate professor of learning sciences and educational technology at NYU Steinhardt. “There is a lot of other things we can do. But the truth is, what happened this spring, really was mostly about Zoom. That both couches what is possible with Zoom and what it allows us to do. [But also] where it falls down and where we need to think about other tools.”
