By Deanna Haunsperger and Jaylin Lowe

Student Survey about Pandemic and Post-pandemic Experiences

In July 2021, we posted a survey on MAA Connect and asked faculty to distribute it to their students. There were 155 respondents to this convenience survey from high school, two-year college, four-year liberal arts college, and university, with most respondents fairly evenly divided between four-year liberal arts college and university. Of the students answering the survey, 69 were living on campus, 60 were living at home or with friends, and 23 were doing some combination of the two, with the remaining three students living alone or taking a leave of absence.

The Good and the Bad

Students were asked to indicate what was difficult about learning online from a range of options. They were permitted to select as many options as they wished. Out of the 155 students who responded to the survey, 104 of them found it challenging to develop connections with their classmates. The other four most common responses were: trouble developing study buddy relationships (101), difficulty getting together for group work (99), exhaustion from feeling overwhelmed (94), and struggles with social isolation (87). As one might expect, the three most common responses all indicated difficulty with creating community during the pandemic and working with others. In addition to difficulties, students were also asked what they appreciated about online learning and what they worry about as classes return to an in-person format. The most frequently mentioned benefits of online learning included: availability of video lectures that could be rewatched and paused (114), ability to roll out of bed to attend class (82), additional flexibility about deadlines (70), more organized professors (69), and the ability to turn video off (68). As we move back to in-person learning, students are worried about the workload being overwhelming (94), that they did not learn enough in the previous year to move on (76), and faculty requiring more of students during the transition (65).

Differences by Class Year and Gender

Answers varied slightly by class year and gender. For instance, a higher percentage of first years and sophomores mentioned difficulty with connectedness, specifically with making connections with their classmates and finding study buddies. Specifically, 75% of first years and 73% of sophomores struggled to make connections with others in their class, while 63.9% of juniors, and 56% of seniors said the same. A similar pattern was true for finding study buddies—a large proportion of people struggled with this, but it was more common among the younger students. First years in particular found it difficult to ask questions in an online format: 61% of them mentioned it as a difficulty, while it was less of an issue for older students (43% of sophomores, 42% of juniors, and 44% of seniors). First years are also more worried about remembering how to interact with others and starting over making new friends with the return of in-person learning than the older students. At the same time, juniors and seniors were more likely to mention anxiety and social isolation as something they struggled with during online learning.

Interestingly, people who identified as female, non-binary, or another non-male gender faced more difficulties during online learning, mentioned more benefits, and had more worries about moving back to in-person learning. Gender minorities were more likely to suffer from exhaustion from being overwhelmed or anxiety compared to male students. Non-male students were more likely to cite being able to keep their video off as a benefit of online learning (53%) compared to only 33% of male students. They also valued being able to roll out of bed for class more, with 60% of female or non-binary students mentioning it as a benefit, compared to only 44% of male students. They also benefited more from the extra flexibility about when to work.

Differences by BIPOC, First Generation, LGBTQ+, and On/Off Campus Status

The number of students responding to the survey who identified as BIPOC, first generation, or LGBTQ+ was relatively small, making it difficult to draw conclusions from their responses. Of the 155 respondents, 15 identified as BIPOC, 29 as first generation, and 23 as LGBTQ+. There was a fair amount of overlap between BIPOC and first generation students, with 10 students identifying as members of both groups.

Despite the small sample size, a few things do stand out. First generation students were far more likely to have to help their families during the pandemic, with almost 16 of the 26 first generation students (55%) mentioning it as a difficulty of the pandemic, compared to only 12% of non-first generation students. This trend was also observed among BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students. These students also tended to be more worried about it being difficult for their families when they return to school. Additionally, both first generation and BIPOC students tended to appreciate the ability to keep their video off, ask questions online, and attend evening office hours more than their peers. LGBTQ+ students were also more likely to appreciate the option to ask questions online and during evening office hours than other students. They were also slightly more likely to mention more faculty check-ins as a benefit, perhaps because higher proportions of them reported suffering from anxiety, exhaustion, and social isolation.

Surprisingly, students who lived at home or with friends away from campus were less likely to have difficulty with making connections with classmates, finding study buddies, or getting together for group work, compared to students who studied on campus or did a mix of both. Perhaps a large portion of those answering “lived at home or with friends” were actually already living with friends or perhaps the comfort of home made finding study buddies less important.

Conclusions

Not everyone experienced the pandemic and online learning in the same way. Overall, though, needing a community but having difficulty finding or building one is something we should always help our students with. Similarly, having recordings of lectures and added flexibility from professors was a help during the pandemic, and could also be something positive we keep with us going forward.

It’s not surprising that a student experiencing the pandemic during their first year of college—the time when most college students learn to be college students—was more affected by the lack of community building activities that happen on campus with other students. It’s during that first year that many students make friends, learn how to approach their professors and ask questions in class, practice how to do homework and study for exams, and become involved in social activities. For many of those students who were first-years last year, they may need to have a re-do on some of their first-year experiences.

Unsurprisingly, students from underrepresented groups may have more responsibilities at home and to their families, during a pandemic or not, and those duties or pulls from home may affect their classroom performance.

Watch for a series of blog posts written by students about their own personal experiences during the pandemic next week at Math Values.

This fall as we head back to classes, whether they are in person or continue to be online, we should keep in mind that while we are nervous about how things are going to go, how easy (or not) it will be for us to get back into the swing of things, and how we will manage, students have very similar concerns. No one wished for the pandemic, but it happened. And it forced a nation-wide experiment in online teaching and learning. We might as well learn from that experience and take the best parts of it as we move forward.

Deanna Haunsperger is a professor of mathematics at Carleton College and the current Editor of Math Values. She is looking forward to getting back to in-person classes this fall and hopes to put pandemic teaching behind her.

Jaylin Lowe is a recent graduate of Carleton College and an incoming first-year PhD student in Statistics at the University of Michigan. She is excited to return to a classroom this fall for the first time in over a year.