Barr Nancy B, Johnson Jaclyn E
Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering MechanicsMichigan Technological University Houghton MI 49931 USA.
IEEE Trans Prof Commun. 2021 Mar 18;64(1):38-51. doi: 10.1109/TPC.2021.3057149. eCollection 2021 Mar.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to universities when instruction had to shift entirely online. Universities were quick to survey their students about those challenges, and education researchers are now focused on building more effective online experiences based on student feedback. The loss of in-person instruction was difficult for engineering students in practice-based courses as they lost the courses' hands-on aspect, which is essential for reinforcing theoretical concepts. They also lost the support provided through daily interactions with their peers and instructors. Students in a required four-course practice-based mechanical engineering sequence shared their perspectives via reflective portfolio essays on how shifting to online instruction affected their ability to participate in their learning communities and negotiate meaningful learning experiences. Through thematic analysis of the reflective essays, we applied the lens of communities of practice to put the students' responses into context. The students' concerns varied depending on their position in the course sequence and the course; however, most students felt that the loss of in-person interaction was most detrimental and disruptive in the transition to online instruction and yielded communication and teaming issues. Five implications arose from the results of this study, including recognizing the unique challenges of online learning in practice-based courses, instructing students in virtual communication tools, exercising empathy, being mindful of cognitive load, and researching self-directed learners in online environments. In addition, faculty should consider the importance of students' communities of practice and build opportunities to maintain and strengthen the bonds of those communities within their courses, both online and face to face. They should also add more opportunities for virtual interaction early in the curriculum to build digital communication skills, which will undoubtedly be required in their careers.
新冠疫情给大学带来了前所未有的挑战，教学不得不完全转向线上。大学迅速就这些挑战对学生进行了调查，教育研究人员现在正专注于根据学生反馈构建更有效的线上学习体验。对于实践课程中的工科学生来说，失去面对面教学很困难，因为他们失去了课程的实践环节，而这对于强化理论概念至关重要。他们还失去了通过与同学和教师日常互动所获得的支持。在一门机械工程专业必修的四门实践课程系列中，学生们通过反思性作品集文章分享了他们对于转向线上教学如何影响其参与学习社区和协商有意义学习体验能力的看法。通过对这些反思性文章进行主题分析，我们运用实践社区的视角来理解学生的回答。学生们的担忧因他们在课程系列中的位置和课程不同而有所差异；然而，大多数学生认为，在向线上教学过渡过程中，失去面对面互动是最有害且具有破坏性的，会产生沟通和团队协作问题。这项研究的结果产生了五点启示，包括认识到实践课程中线上学习的独特挑战、教授学生虚拟沟通工具、表达同理心、关注认知负荷以及研究在线环境中的自主学习者。此外，教师应考虑学生实践社区的重要性，并创造机会在课程中，无论是线上还是线下，维持和加强这些社区的联系。他们还应在课程早期增加更多虚拟互动机会，以培养数字沟通技能，这无疑是他们职业生涯中所必需的。
