Understanding Undergraduates' Modality Selection Post-COVID: What Will Students Want?

• In Event: Highlighting Learner Experiences With Online Instruction

Abstract

How postsecondary students choose between in-person and online courses has been studied for over a decade, with studies gradually increasing in sophistication and scale to capture the complexity of the decision space. One consistent finding has been that the more courses a student has already completed online, the more likely they are to choose another. As part of an ongoing study, we surveyed undergraduates in May 2021 to learn how their preferences for course modality and design may have shifted based on the experience of pandemic-related remote learning. Preliminary analysis suggests that COVID has not dramatically altered modality choice, though it has taught students about the convenience of recorded lectures and increased their desire for generally flexible course designs.

Authors

• Laura M. D'Amico, Simon Fraser University

• Kevin D O'Neill, Simon Fraser University