Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 on the First-Year Engineering Experience at a Mid-Sized Teaching Focused University

Brian Dick

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 3: Online Learning and the Impact of COVID-19
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41352
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41352
Download Count: 289

Paper Authors

biography

Brian Dick

visit author page

Brian Dick chairs the Physics, Engineering, and Astronomy department at Vancouver Island University, and coordinates its Engineering Transfer program. He believes strongly in enabling equitable access to engineering education, and led work to develop the Common First-Year Engineering Curriculum in British Columbia. He is also passionate about enriching program curriculum with intercultural experiences and student engagement as global citizens. Brian has led intercultural projects between students in Canada and Vietnam, including a field school for first-year engineering students.

Brian sits on the BC Council on Admission and Transfer (BCCAT) as an instructional representative, and chairs in Research Committee. He is past-chair of the BCCAT Engineering Articulation committee and previously has sat on the VIU Senate. Brian received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Alberta.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

COVID-19 impacted delivery of the first-year engineering design curriculum throughout the post-secondary system. Vancouver Island University (VIU) is a mid-sized teaching institution where students typically take one year of engineering studies prior to transferring to a larger engineering school to complete their degrees. Due to COVID-19, VIU shifted instruction of the first-year engineering design curriculum entirely to remote learning environment during the 2019/20 academic year. Students were not expected to be in physical contact at any point during the term. In making this transition, factors considered included:

• Ensuring the learning outcomes of the curriculum continued to meet the requirements of VIU’s transfer partners. • Maintaining community structures, and team- and project-based learning to support and encourage students within their education and understanding of the profession. • Demonstrating empathy towards student mental health and circumstances during the pandemic. • Focusing on change for the long-term, not specific to the COVID-19 period. • Mitigating potential academic misconduct challenges.

In response, the first-year engineering design curriculum was adapted to a flipped classroom model using a modular approach for content. For each module, a framework of individual and team-based readiness assessment quizzes, videos highlighting key content, associated studio activities, and a final module exam was used to assess student learning. For each term, deliberate activities that aimed to help students build resilience to the stress of isolation included a personal time off (PTO) planning and reflection exercise, creating a community discussion board, providing videos emphasizing learning and health within a university environment, and encouraging peer-supportive learning.

The effectiveness and impacts of the changes made to the design curriculum were examined informally during the Sept-Dec and the Jan-Apr terms through mid-term and end-of-term student surveys which included both open-ended and Likert scale responses. Approximately, three-quarters of responding students indicated that the online discussion promoted interest in the course content, and that the course organization was easy to follow. An area of suggested improvement included video content, which was not generally felt to contribute significantly towards student understanding of the key topics. It is unclear, however, if the weaker response was due the content itself or student preference for learning face-to-face.

Informal feedback provided through the students’ PTO reflections often showed the students modifying their original plan due to the on-going impact of COVID-19 within the community, and seasonable change. In general, despite changes in specific individual activities, students maintained deliberate plans to keep in touch with friends and family, and indicated the framing of a plan, even if not followed precisely, brought comfort during times of challenge.

This paper discusses the COVID-19 adaptions made within the first-year engineering design curriculum, and reflects on their impact fulfilling the required learning outcomes, mitigating student mental health issues, and addressing academic misconduct. It will further articulate the adaptations that are planned to be continued within the first-year experience as students return for face-to-face instruction. The impact of these changes will continue to be studied over the coming academic year.

Citation
Format

Dick, B. (2022, August), Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 on the First-Year Engineering Experience at a Mid-Sized Teaching Focused University Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41352

TY - CPAPER
AB - COVID-19 impacted delivery of the first-year engineering design curriculum throughout the post-secondary system. Vancouver Island University (VIU) is a mid-sized teaching institution where students typically take one year of engineering studies prior to transferring to a larger engineering school to complete their degrees. Due to COVID-19, VIU shifted instruction of the first-year engineering design curriculum entirely to remote learning environment during the 2019/20 academic year. Students were not expected to be in physical contact at any point during the term. In making this transition, factors considered included:

• Ensuring the learning outcomes of the curriculum continued to meet the requirements of VIU’s transfer partners.
• Maintaining community structures, and team- and project-based learning to support and encourage students within their education and understanding of the profession.
• Demonstrating empathy towards student mental health and circumstances during the pandemic.
• Focusing on change for the long-term, not specific to the COVID-19 period.
• Mitigating potential academic misconduct challenges.

In response, the first-year engineering design curriculum was adapted to a flipped classroom model using a modular approach for content. For each module, a framework of individual and team-based readiness assessment quizzes, videos highlighting key content, associated studio activities, and a final module exam was used to assess student learning. For each term, deliberate activities that aimed to help students build resilience to the stress of isolation included a personal time off (PTO) planning and reflection exercise, creating a community discussion board, providing videos emphasizing learning and health within a university environment, and encouraging peer-supportive learning.

The effectiveness and impacts of the changes made to the design curriculum were examined informally during the Sept-Dec and the Jan-Apr terms through mid-term and end-of-term student surveys which included both open-ended and Likert scale responses. Approximately, three-quarters of responding students indicated that the online discussion promoted interest in the course content, and that the course organization was easy to follow. An area of suggested improvement included video content, which was not generally felt to contribute significantly towards student understanding of the key topics. It is unclear, however, if the weaker response was due the content itself or student preference for learning face-to-face.

Informal feedback provided through the students’ PTO reflections often showed the students modifying their original plan due to the on-going impact of COVID-19 within the community, and seasonable change. In general, despite changes in specific individual activities, students maintained deliberate plans to keep in touch with friends and family, and indicated the framing of a plan, even if not followed precisely, brought comfort during times of challenge.

This paper discusses the COVID-19 adaptions made within the first-year engineering design curriculum, and reflects on their impact fulfilling the required learning outcomes, mitigating student mental health issues, and addressing academic misconduct. It will further articulate the adaptations that are planned to be continued within the first-year experience as students return for face-to-face instruction. The impact of these changes will continue to be studied over the coming academic year.

AU - Brian Dick
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 on the First-Year Engineering Experience at a Mid-Sized Teaching Focused University
UR - https://peer.asee.org/41352
DO - 10.18260/1-2--41352
ER -