Insights into Student Experiences of Covid19
This blog has been written by Ruvimbo Machaka, Student Researcher and PhD student (Health and Wellbeing) who has been working with STEER to review key literature discussing the response to Covid19 in higher education.
Over the past few months (March – July 2020), several reports have been published on the impact of Covid-19 on the higher education student experience. Some of these were reviewed for an annotated bibliography to reflect the following four themes (broadly): impact of Covid-19 on health and safety; effectiveness of communication during the crisis; alternative teaching and support for students to meet expected outcomes; and support provided by institutions for students’ learning to meet expected student outcomes. The literature was drawn from 13 reports[1] based on UK and US institutions, focusing on; wider student experiences during the crisis, expectations of new and returning students, the impact of covid-19 on certain groups and the impact of covid-19 on access, transition, retention, progression and outcomes.
Initial Covid-19 crisis thinking resulted in cessation of face to face lessons. Despite the protection to physical health offered by moving lessons online, mental and emotional health has been worsened by the Covid-19 crisis. Most of the reviewed reports highlighted social isolation and heightened anxiety levels due to current circumstances and fears for the future. A number of institutions have moved support services online; however there is a clear need to upscale these to meet the rising needs.
Clarity and timeliness of communication has been a concern for students through the pandemic. Although worries of communication differed across different educational levels, concerns ranged from plans about the next academic year, scholarships, tuition, graduation, visas, accommodation and assessments. Institutions have reportedly provided clear information on the virus and the impact via emails and/or webpages. There is still a clear need to bridge the gap in communication for students to have trust in their institutions and its leadership.
Notable efforts were made in quickly moving learning online. Unfortunately, many students have not found online learning to be effective. A significant proportion of students are struggling with accessibility of technology and learning resources. Most studies call for the higher education sector to work hard to change students’ perceptions as some are currently seeking reimbursement or considering deferring studies. Universities should turn their attention to facilitating online interaction, developing connections between students and lecturers, administer pre-course surveys to determine preparedness, promote creativeness in teaching and assessments and audit resource availability to encourage inclusive learning.
Students felt lukewarm about the academic and non-academic support offered by universities. The review findings highlight a lack of awareness of different support services offered by the universities. The financial stressors resulting from Covid-19 increased the need for additional financial support to allow students to continue their courses and to ensure that access is not harmed for current applicants. Attention is required to ensure that students are offered holistic support to ensure that they seamlessly continue with their studies.
The findings of this literature review view also provide insights into how some groups of students are disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 such as; those care experienced or estranged from family, international students, commuter students and BAME students. Taken together, with the right resources for students and training for staff, it is feasible to have an effective and inclusive online learning environment which promotes engagement, motivation, wellbeing and matches the value that is expected by students.
The full annotated bibliography can be reviewed here: Impact of Covid_Annotated Bibliography
[1] These reports were collated from known sources and not through a systematic process of literature searching.
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