Ecology and Evolution · 2021 · 26 citations · 39 references
EducationHigher EducationScience EducationDistance EducationOnline TeachingStem EducationDistance LearningOnline Community BuildingOnline Course DesignOnline InstructionOnline LearningCommunity Building OnlineField Observation SkillsMixed Methods AnalysisOnline Learning CommunitiesOnline Science LearningOnline Student SuccessStem Self-efficacyStudent Success Metrics
The COVID‑19 pandemic disrupted many standard STEM education approaches, especially field courses that depend on specific natural spaces accessed via shared vehicles. The study aimed to compare factors lost or gained when converting an introductory field course from in‑person to online, given the known impact of in‑person courses on undergraduate science success. The authors used a mixed‑methods comparison of online and in‑person field‑course data, noting loss of community building online but gains in self‑efficacy, research and observation skills, and local space connection. The mixed‑methods study showed that online field courses lose community building but increase students’ self‑efficacy, research and observation skills, local space connection, and provide mental‑health breaks, suggesting that intentional design can yield outcomes comparable to in‑person courses.
Abstract The COVID‐19 pandemic has disrupted many standard approaches to STEM education. Particularly impacted were field courses, which rely on specific natural spaces often accessed through shared vehicles. As in‐person field courses have been found to be particularly impactful for undergraduate student success in the sciences, we aimed to compare and understand what factors may have been lost or gained during the conversion of an introductory field course to an online format. Using a mixed methods approach comparing data from online and in‐person field‐course offerings, we found that while community building was lost in the online format, online participants reported increased self‐efficacy in research and observation skills and connection to their local space. The online field course additionally provided positive mental health breaks for students who described the time outside as a much‐needed respite. We maintain that through intentional design, online field courses can provide participants with similar outcomes to in‐person field courses.
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Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change.
Psychological Review · 1977 · 42.6K citations · Full text
Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change.
Albert Bandura · Psychological Review · 1977 · 35.5K citations
Elizabeth K. Nisbet, John M. Zelenski, Steven A. Murphy · Environment and Behavior · 2008 · 1.9K citations