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1. Social Connectedness in Physical Isolation: Online Teaching Practices That Support Under-Represented Undergraduate Students’ Feelings of Belonging and Engagement in STEM

   https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12020061  

   Thacker, Ian; Seyranian, Viviane; Madva, Alex; Duong, Nicole T.; Beardsley, Paul (February 2022, Education Sciences)

   The COVID-19 outbreak spurred unplanned closures and transitions to online classes. Physical environments that once fostered social interaction and community were rendered inactive. We conducted interviews and administered surveys to examine undergraduate STEM students’ feelings of belonging and engagement while in physical isolation, and identified online teaching modes associated with these feelings. Surveys from a racially diverse group of 43 undergraduate students at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) revealed that interactive synchronous instruction was positively associated with feelings of interest and belonging, particularly for students of color, while noninteractive instruction reduced social belonging, but was related to more cognitive engagement. Small group and one-on-one interviews with 23 of these students suggest that students derived feelings of connectedness from their instructors, peers, and prior experiences and relied on their sense of competency to motivate themselves in the course and feel a sense of belonging. Two embedded cases of students in physics classrooms are compared to highlight the range of student feelings of connectedness and competency during the lockdown. Findings reaffirm that social interaction tends to support belonging and engagement, particularly for under-represented (Black or African American and Hispanic) racial groups in STEM. STEM instructors who aim to support feelings of belonging and engagement in virtual learning environments should consider increasing opportunities for student–student and student–teacher interactions, as well as taking a flexible approach that validates and integrates student voice into instruction. Future research is needed to further explore the themes of relatedness and competency that emerged as aspects of course belonging. 

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2. Connectedness in Isolation: A Qualitative Study of Belonging in STEM During the Onset of COVID-19

   Thacker, Ian; Seyranian, Viviane; Spata, Angelica; Nieblas, Frank; Duong, Nicole; Beardsley, Paul (August 2021, American Psychological Association, Div 15)

   null (Ed.)

   The COVID-19 outbreak spurred unplanned closures and transitions to online classes. Physical environments that once fostered social interaction and community were rendered inactive. We examined undergraduate STEM students’ feelings of belonging and engagement while in physical isolation and identified online teaching modes associated with these feelings. Interviews with a racially diverse group of 21 undergraduate students suggest that students derived feelings of connectedness from their interactions with instructors, peers, and from their prior experiences. Findings suggest that personalized, often synchronous online interactions tend to support students’ feelings of connectedness and belonging in STEM. 

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3. STEM Faculty’s Support of Togetherness during Mandated Separation: Accommodations, Caring, Crisis Management, and Powerlessness

   https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12090632  

   Thacker, Ian; Seyranian, Viviane; Madva, Alex; Beardsley, Paul (September 2022, Education Sciences)

   The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic initiated major disruptions to higher education systems. Physical spaces that previously supported interpersonal interaction and community were abruptly inactivated, and faculty largely took on the responsibility of accommodating classroom structures in rapidly changing situations. This study employed interviews to examine how undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) instructors adapted instruction to accommodate the mandated transition to virtual learning and how these accommodations supported or hindered community and belonging during the onset of the pandemic. Interviews with 25 STEM faculty at an undergraduate Hispanic Serving Institution revealed a wide range of accommodations they made to their courses and how they managed communication with students. Faculty strived to support student belonging with responses ranging from caring to crisis management, though some faculty expressed feelings of powerlessness when unable to accommodate certain challenges. The case of a responsive and flexible instructor is presented to highlight a productive response to a crisis. These retrospective findings point to strategies to support faculty teaching in virtual learning environments in the future; increasing opportunities for student–student and student–faculty interaction, supporting faculty in learning technologies that support these interactions and addressing faculty’s feelings of powerlessness. 

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4. COVID-19 pandemic impacts on student learning in undergraduate mineralogy

   https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2024.2413830  

   Dorfman, Susannah M; Libarkin, Julie; Singleton, Naomi; Brekke, Grace (October 2024, Journal of Geoscience Education)

   Online and hybrid instruction as a response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic presented specific challenges in geosciences due to the role of laboratory and field activities. We carried out a research study on student learning in undergraduate mineralogy at a large public research university in the United States over a 4-year period including pre-pandemic in-person instruction and during pandemic online and hybrid instruction. A total of 94 students participated in course activities and mixed-method surveys. Survey results indicated that during the pandemic, students entered the course with lower sense of belonging relative to pre-pandemic students. Despite challenges related to instruction and student learning since 2020, the pandemic did not necessarily produce worse learning outcomes for mineralogy students as measured by course assessments. Structured course delivery and opportunities for interaction can offset challenges resulting from global emergencies. 

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5. Access to Online Formative Assessments in Lower-Division Undergraduate Biology Courses: Investigating Barriers to Student Engagement

   https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.22-05-0098  

   Upchurch, Allison M.; Kirkwood-Watts, Dana L.; Brazeal, Kathleen R.; Wheeler, Lorey A.; Couch, Brian A.; Johnson, Gabrielle B.; Spier, Sarah K. (December 2022, CBE—Life Sciences Education)

   Coffman, Clark (Ed.)

   Instructors use a variety of online formative assessment (FA) activities to support learning outside class. Previous studies have revealed barriers for students in online courses, but little is known about the barriers students experience when completing online FA assignments. Understanding these barriers to access is critical to fostering more inclusive learning for all students. Using a framework from previous work in online learning, we examined student perceptions of online FA access with respect to five barrier categories: technical resources, instructor organization, social interactions, personal engagement, and learning environment. We developed and administered a survey to more than 1200 undergraduate biology students at 2-year and 4-year institutions. Students responded to statements using Likert scales and open-ended prompts. Statistical models indicated differences in access across the barrier categories and revealed that demographic characteristics were associated with certain barrier categories. Furthermore, technical resources, instructor organization, and personal engagement barriers were associated with lower course performance. In open-ended responses, students most frequently suggested that changes to scheduling logistics, course delivery, and FA format would improve their online FA experience. We discuss how these findings and student suggestions can inform instruction, particularly how instructors can alter their FA characteristics to better suit their student populations. 

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