E&D series: Coronavirus and on-line learning: What do we know about student outcomes?

In the wake of the Coronavirus many universities are pushing courses online at a rapid pace. While this step is necessary for the health and wellbeing of wider communities, it might have unintended consequences for students satisfaction with their program of study. One of the risks of moving students online is that we reduce the number of perceived opportunities for students to socialise with their peers.

 We refer to these opportunities as social integration. These consist of the informal interactions that students experience with peers and staff on campus, the participation in student groups and clubs, and university events. Poor integration influences students’ satisfaction with their program. Under normal circumstances, this poor integration can influence student persistence intentions. With the increased uncertainty introduced by COVID-19, social integration might play a vital role in enhancing positive student outcomes.

Students who are studying away from the main campuses of their universities experience poorer social integration. Together with student researchers Zarinah Banu, T Lavania, and Ng Sing Yi Joan, Andrea Steele and Heather Douglas (Murdoch / UoN) identified this in a group of students studying at Murdoch University, Perth in 2018, by comparing students studying face to face in Perth, and students studying offshore and partly online with Murdoch Singapore and Kaplan Higher Education.

 From left to right: student researchers Zarinah Baru, T Lavania, and Ng Sing Yi Joan under the supervision of UON psychology researcher Dr Heather Douglas

Social integration had a stronger effect on satisfaction for Singapore students than onshore students – when social integration was poor, Singapore students were far less satisfied than onshore students. Conversely, when social integration was high, Singapore students were still less satisfied but the gap was much smaller. Universities moving their programs online in the wake of the coronavirus might need to consider how social integration might influence students’ satisfaction. Providing programs to increase social integration online will be vital to ensuring student satisfaction and avoiding the departure of these students from their program of study.



For more information about these data and this research project, contact chief investigator at UON Psychology, Dr Heather Douglas: Heather.Douglas@Newcastle.edu.au

Acknowledgements: This data was collected as part of a Murdoch University Students as Change Agents in Learning and Teaching (SCALT) project with lead students T Lavania, Ng Sing Yi Joan (both pictured) and Zarinah Baru. Graduate Diploma students Raymond Carter, Aarti Gupta, Stephanie Galati-Rando, Shelby Glaskin, Matthew Hesketh, Alvin Lee, and Valensia Wongas contributed the Australian sample.