When asked explicitly about their learning, students reported learning less in most of their classes (51.9%), about the same in some (37.7%), and more in a minority of classes (10.4%) after the shift to remote instruction compared to before. Students’ open-ended responses revealed that they attributed changes in their learning, at least in part, to factors such as low motivation, inability to self-regulate their learning, and a shift in goals. One student’s experience touched on many attributional themes that typified students’ responses: “I literally have no schedule anymore so I can’t plan when to do anything and I have no motivation and it’s just terrible.” Motivational and attention regulation difficulties were often made worse by environmental constraints (e.g., distractions, lack of reliable internet, reduced access to campus resources). Online delivery modalities, both synchronous and asynchronous, were barriers to learning for many students. On the other hand, some students attributed the decline in learning to internal factors, such as their own shifting goals and priorities.

Nearly 20% of responding participants noted that their online work was less helpful to their learning (e.g., “It just felt like the assignments were all busy work and I was only doing them to get points and not actually learn”). Even among students who perceived that their overall workload had decreased, some felt like their remote class assignments “didn’t contribute to learning at all.”

Similar patterns were reflected in students’ comments about their instructors’ level of understanding. Many students acknowledged that their instructors’ empathy and care had been important to them emotionally and motivationally. Care was conveyed through proactive communication from instructors and through a willingness to make instructional or academic accommodations to ease the shift to remote learning (e.g., leniency in grading, assignment modifications, and lighter coursework).

Two themes emerged most frequently from students’ responses (n = 160) to the open-ended question about instructional quality. First, many students offered evaluative comments related to instructors’ pedagogical skill and ability to adapt to online delivery (e.g., use of technology, adapting coursework and assignments). A second and often related theme addressed communication between instructors and students. Among the minority of students who reported that instructional quality had improved after remote instruction, most simply noted that their instructors were “doing their best” during a “challenging and difficult” time. Students praised those instructors who remained accessible to them and kept open lines of communication.

The Survey