Assessment of online teaching in Hood College’s Department of Chemistry and Physics during the Covid-19 pandemic

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2021-04

Department

Hood College Department of Chemistry and Physics

Program

Hood College Departmental Honors

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States

Abstract

Following the March 2020 closure of the Hood College campus in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a necessary switch to remote education. This switch caused upheaval across the Hood community, and there were a variety of responses to the shift in teaching modality. Using surveys given to both instructors and students, the impact of the shutdown—for both students and professors—was gauged to determine the success of remote education and any adjustments made for the following fall. Following the completion of the Fall 2020 semester, another survey was distributed to students with follow-up questions regarding their experiences with courses with respect to the modalities that the students chose, either in person or remote. The surveys revealed students’ and faculty members’ struggles with adjusting to a remote format. They also provided some insight into things that could be done differently to address these problems. One response was to create contingency plans for the completion of in person laboratory assignments if the implementation of remote labs were necessary at any point during the semester. There are also indications from the survey results that more should be done in the interest of encouraging engagement from students attending classes remotely to better ensure their success.