Department of Communication, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America.
Department of Journalism & Media Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2021 Feb 10;16(2):e0246641. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246641. eCollection 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced closure of most U.S. university campuses in March 2020, obliging millions of students to finish their semesters via remote learning. This study examines whether and how students' prior and current experiences of digital inequality-defined as constrained access to the internet and internet-connecting devices-were associated with their remote learning experiences.
An anonymous, online survey of 2,913 undergraduate college students from 30 U.S. universities completing their spring term remotely was conducted between April and May 2020. Hypothesis testing utilized a structural equation model with cluster-bootstrapped standard errors and p-values, to account for students being clustered by university.
Findings revealed that students' challenges with internet connectivity and digital devices during remote learning were associated with lower remote learning proficiency (RLP). Difficulty communicating with professors and teaching assistants was also associated with lower RLP. Prior experience with online coursework was associated with higher RLP, and digital inequality challenges during the year prior to the pandemic with lower RLP. Moreover, students who reported greater financial hardship since the start of the pandemic experienced significantly more connectivity, device, and faculty communication challenges during remote learning, and had significantly lower RLP.
Many students will continue to learn remotely in some form until the pandemic recedes. We identify key factors associated with students' remote learning proficiency: (1) consistent, high-speed internet connectivity and functioning devices to connect to it, and (2) the ability to relate to and communicate easily with professors and teaching assistants. This study identifies potential barriers to effective remote learning, as well as possible opportunities to improve students' experiences.
2020 年 3 月，COVID-19 大流行迫使美国大多数大学校园关闭，迫使数百万学生通过远程学习完成学期。本研究考察了学生先前和当前的数字不平等经历（即互联网和互联网连接设备的访问受限）是否以及如何与他们的远程学习体验相关。
2020 年 4 月至 5 月期间，对 30 所美国大学的 2913 名完成春季学期远程学习的本科生进行了一项匿名在线调查。假设检验使用了带有聚类自举标准误差和 p 值的结构方程模型，以考虑到学生按大学聚类。
研究结果表明，学生在远程学习中遇到的互联网连接和数字设备挑战与远程学习能力（RLP）较低有关。与教授和助教沟通困难也与较低的 RLP 相关。在大流行前一年的在线课程经历与较高的 RLP 相关，而数字不平等挑战则与较低的 RLP 相关。此外，自大流行开始以来报告经济困难较大的学生在远程学习期间经历了更多的连接、设备和教师沟通挑战，RLP 明显较低。
许多学生将在某种形式上继续远程学习，直到大流行消退。我们确定了与学生远程学习能力相关的关键因素：（1）一致、高速的互联网连接和可用于连接的功能设备，以及（2）与教授和助教轻松联系和沟通的能力。本研究确定了有效远程学习的潜在障碍，以及改善学生体验的可能机会。
