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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The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Effect on Student Learning at Aviation Maintenance Technology Schools
In March 2020, students across the country experienced disruptions to their learning due to the COVID-19 crisis. Aviation Maintenance Technology Schools (AMTS) were no exception. These schools relied heavily on hands-on learning to train the next generation of aircraft maintenance technicians, but, for varying periods, students were unable to attend in-person classes and complete hands-on projects. Schools could delay learning until they could resume in-person classes, or they could switch to remote lectures and complete required projects once they returned in-person. Through a resilience engineering framework, this research explores AMTS’ responses to the crisis and the effect both disruption and institutional response had on student learning. The research team conducted 43 semi-structured interviews with administrators, instructors, and students at AMTS nationally. During these interviews, participants shared their personal and their Part 147 schools’ responses to the pandemic. Content analysis revealed that schools were under-prepared for any long-term disruption to their programs. Student learning suffered as a result. We discuss our research in relation to the effect on academic continuity and identify some ways which help mitigate disruptions.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2037809
- PAR ID:
- 10358820
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ATEC journal
- Volume:
- 43
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1068-5901
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 8-16
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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