The Impact of Social Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Academic Outcomes Across Diverse Students

• In Event: Interactions and the Self in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The unique educational model of exclusively online, non-profit higher education institutions afford rigorous evaluation of how the pandemic impacted academic outcomes across diverse student populations, independent of the online transition. The current research used a combination of text mining and structural equation modeling methods to assess the impact of the pandemic on academic outcomes at a large online university. Students who discussed COVID-related issues received significantly more social support from their personal program mentors than their peers. Results also show that, unexpectedly, students who discussed COVID-related issues did not complete fewer course units than their peers. These findings provide scalable solutions for higher education institutions that are striving to support their students during online instruction.

Authors

• Nicole Barbaro, WGU Labs

• Meredith Riggs, Carnegie Mellon University

• Jason Levin, Western Governors University

• Carolyn Rose, Carnegie Mellon University