Civil engineering students' perceptions of emergency remote teaching: a case study in New Zealand. (4th July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Guo, Brian H. W.; Milke, Mark; Jin, Ruoyu
• Is Part Of: European journal of engineering education. Volume 47:Number 4(2022)
• Page Start: 679
• Page End: 696
• Publication Date: 2022-07-04
• Subjects: Emergency remote teaching -- community of inquiry -- covid-19 -- higher education -- civil engineering -- distance learning; Engineering -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; 620.007114
• DOI: 10.1080/03043797.2022.2031896
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0304-3797

Abstract

ABSTRACT: University of Canterbury, as an institution, had developed strong educational resilience during and after the 2010–11 earthquakes. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, New Zealand shut down all university educational facilities in March 2020, with education migrated online. Within this unique context, this research aims to (1) investigate civil engineering students' perceptions about the benefits and challenges of online learning during the lockdown period, (2) identify significant factors that contribute to effective online teaching and learning, and (3) provide the implications of this research for future emergency remote teaching (ERT). A survey was designed and administered to measure students' perceptions of online learning during the lockdown. A total of 192 completed responses were collected from both undergraduate and Master civil engineering students. In addition to typical online learning challenges, students also experienced unique challenges, such as social and emotional isolation, anxiety, depression, and uncertainty. This paper suggests that teaching presence be brought to the forefront of ERT. Future research directions were recommended to better understand ERT by linking it to the Community of Inquiry framework and enhance tertiary education institutions' resilience to handle a future crisis.