Engagement in the Undergraduate Science Course: Lessons Learned about Participation and Distraction from the Remote Classroom

The COVID-19 pandemic has left very little unaltered, education included. Institutions encountered an almost immediate transition to remote learning to prevent disease transmission. Because most students and instructors alike were unfamiliar with remote learning, challenges quickly arose and have unfortunately lingered longer than most had hoped. In this study, we investigated the effects of remote learning on student engagement and perceived success in face-to-face undergraduate science courses from both the student and instructor perspectives. We attempted to identify the major distractors as well as strategies which increased engagement for students. Analysis revealed that students were less likely to engage in their remote science classroom when compared to their previous face-to-face classrooms with no significant differences in perceived engagement or success between class standing or age of the students. Students identified the strongest remote classroom diversions as other distractions on the internet and mental health issues. The most engaging factors in the remote classroom were instructor enthusiasm and questions presented by the instructor. From the instructor perspective, they found it more difficult to connect with students and found students engaged less in group discussion in remote courses when compared to their face-to-face in courses. Our data reveal differences in engagement and perceived success from the student and instructor perspective in remote science courses which were offered previously in a face-to-face format. Lessons learned from this study will not only assist in improving future remote courses but will assist in student engagement in the undergraduate science classroom overall.