Suddenly Online: A National Survey of Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Digital Promise and Langer Research Associates developed the “Survey of Student Perceptions of Remote Teaching and Learning” to capture the experiences of undergraduates taking courses that transitioned to online instruction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey explores the nature of college courses as they were taught during the COVID-19 outbreak, the pervasiveness of various challenges undergraduates faced after the transition to remote instruction, and course features associated with higher levels of student satisfaction. Data analyses compared experiences of students from low-income, underrepresented, or rural backgrounds to those of students with none of these characteristics. This survey was administered in the spring of 2020 to a random national sample of 1,008 undergraduates, age 18 and older, who were taking college courses for credit that included in-person class sessions when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and had to finish the course by learning at a distance.