What do Students and TAs Think About Remote Instruction? We Surveyed 100 to Find Out.

We spoke to 100 students and TAs about moving to remote learning during the Spring 2020 semester.

As the novel coronavirus swept the globe, eventually making its way into the United States, universities around the country faced a tough decision: how best to move instruction online to ensure that students and faculty members might complete the Spring term with minimal interruption.

Throughout this turbulent time in Academia, less attention has been paid to the concerns and experiences of the students who were quickly displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic than to the professors who must navigate it. Tens of thousands of students were made to leave their campuses and determine transportation home in a matter of days, with no tentative return date provided to them. Many students face connectivity issues at home, leaving them disadvantaged within an academic arena which now relies on technology to operate.

To better understand the needs and experiences of the students we build technology to serve, we surveyed 100 students and TAs from universities around the nation about their experiences moving to — and using Campuswire for — remote instruction during the Spring 2020 Term.

Download the full Student Sentiment Survey Infographic here.

Here’s what they said:

100% of students surveyed prefer in-person instruction to distance learning.

43% of students report that they are considering taking time off of school if classes remain online.

43% of students surveyed indicated that they will definitely return to their university, even if classes remain online.

14% of students are unsure of their plans for the fall semester.

78% of students surveyed indicated that they have spent significantly less time collaborating with their peers since moving to online instruction.

45% of students surveyed say that, due to distance instruction, they have less access to their professors and TAs than they previously did.

How has using Campuswire for remote instruction affected students’ learning and TAs’ instruction this Spring?

70% of students reportedly spend more time collaborating with classmates in classes that use Campuswire.

77% of students report that their professor’s online instruction improved after introducing Campuswire as a distance learning tool.

65% of students surveyed reportedly have better access to professors and TAs in classes that use Campuswire, as opposed to those that do not.

78% of students say that using Campuswire for distance learning has made their class more engaging.

100% of TAs say that Campuswire has been ‘helpful’ or ‘very helpful’ in moving to distance instruction.

“I think Campuswire made it much easier to connect with my students. Students can ask questions online, and other students can respond, or reference those answers. It really lowered my workload.”

– Jiaxi Yang, Data Visualization TA & Ph.D Candidate — Measurement, Evaluation, & Statistics, Columbia University Teacher’s College, anticipated 2021.

56% of TAs say that the biggest challenge they’ve faced since moving their course online is maintaining student engagement.

60% of TAs say that Campuswire has made their virtual classroom more engaging.

65% of TAs surveyed report that Campuswire has improved their accessibility to students.

61% of TAs indicate that using Campuswire improved their online instruction during the Spring 2020 Term.

Campuswire is a teaching & learning platform that professors use to manage course Q&A outside of class, implement active learning in class, and host live lectures and office hours for up to 2,000 students.

Campuswire includes three features that professors can mix and match: a modern Q&A forum with chatrooms, an active learning tool that works in person or online, and live video lectures and office hours.

This allows professors to get real-time feedback and incentivize engagement during online and in-person lectures and manage Q&A efficiently.

To learn more about Campuswire, visit us online: www.campuswire.com.

Download Campuswire’s Student & TA Sentiment Survey infographic here.