(PO-133) Impact of Remote Learning During COVID-19 on Students' Course Performance

Author: Meixun Zheng, Ph.D – Senior Instructional designer and Associate Professor, University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
Author: Daniel Bender, EdD – Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
Author: Cindy Lyon, DDS, EdD – Associate Dean for Oral Healthcare Education, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
Submitter: Meixun Zheng, Ph.D – Senior Instructional designer and Associate Professor, University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Denti

Objectives
Several studies have investigated dental students’ attitude towards remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, but mixed results have been reported. Additionally, how remote learning during the pandemic impacted students’ learning performance has not been empirically investigated. In this institutional-wide comparative study, we examined dental students’ perceived effectiveness of online courses offered during summer quarter 2020, explored pedagogical factors impacting their acceptance of online courses, and empirically evaluated the impact of remote learning during the pandemic on students’ course performance.

Method
This study employed a mixed methods design. Participants were 482 dental students in a U.S dental school. Students’ perceived effectiveness of online courses during the pandemic was assessed with a survey. Students’ course grades for online courses during summer quarter 2020 were compared with that of a control group who received face-to-face instruction for the same courses before the pandemic in summer quarter 2019.

Results
Survey results revealed that most online courses were well accepted by the students, and 80% of them wanted to continue with some online instruction post pandemic. Regression analyses revealed that students’ perceived engagement with faculty and classmates predicted their perceived effectiveness of the online course. More notably, Chi Square analysis results demonstrated that, in 16 out of the 17 courses compared, the online cohort during summer quarter 2020 was equally or more likely to get an A course grade than the analogous face-to-face cohort during summer quarter 2019.

Conclusions
This is the first empirical study to demonstrate that online courses during the pandemic could achieve equivalent or better student course performance than the same pre-pandemic in-person courses. The results also highlight the importance of implementing teaching strategies to support students’ online engagement/interaction with faculty and classmates. Our findings help fill in the gaps in literature and may inform online learning design moving forward.