Many students struggle with unstable internet access, according to a new report. While students are mostly self-reliant when troubleshooting tech problems, colleges still have a role to play in easing students’ tech burdens.
Image: Adobe Stock: Nochkhun
Last March, the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted university operations around the world. Students and instructors quickly transitioned to remote education, demonstrating reliance on new technologies that may have otherwise never been used.
How did students and instructors collectively respond to the abrupt change? Researchers at Penn State’s Center for Human-Computer Interaction aimed to find out by analyzing their experiences, challenges and opportunities. Their work could contribute to the development of better tools, curriculum and supports for remote education should a future unexpected need arise.
“There are many researchers surveying students about their learning experiences during the pandemic, and others asking faculty about their teaching experiences,” said Chun-Hua Tsai. “But we haven’t seen any study that tried to combine the mutual experiences from both sides.”