The post-pandemic transition to remote learning has altered the structure of education at the University of South Carolina and has had a direct impact on student engagement and teaching methods, according to students and faculty at USC.
56% of students in South Carolina were enrolled in at least one online course in 2022, according to Lyss Weildings' "Online Learning Statistics" report. Traditional teaching methods at USC have been revised as teachers and students adapt to these new standards, according to USC professors.
Elizabeth Regan, chair of the College of Engineering and Computing's Department of Integrated Information Technology, said online learning can be seen as "mediated tutoring" because she gives exams in person but allows students to learn online.
“I don't think online instruction is for everyone,” Regan said. “I think it takes a different way of thinking about learning on the part of the student as well as the part of the faculty, in terms of their instructional strategies.”
Academic performance and learning gaps
The switch to online learning has resulted in variable student performance, according to some instructors. While some students thrive from a more flexible learning environment, others struggle with distractions and a lack of direct assistance.
First-year business student Teagan Kelly said online classes can be difficult for her to understand and remember because they lack the in-person assistance provided by instructors.
“It makes it so much easier to forget about the work if you don't have someone in person saying, ‘Hey, do this work,’ and it's hard to focus on online video lessons and lectures,” Kelly said.
Lucy Wannamaker, a third-year mass communications student, said she favors online classes with weekly lecture material because it helps her study more.
“For me, remote learning actually helps a lot just dealing with classes in person and online,” Wannamaker said. “I think it's a great resource if you're able to keep up with the work.”
Alexandria Reynolds, the undergraduate director and instructor for the psychology department, said students are either extremely motivated or very uninterested in taking an online program.
“You can have somebody sit in the classroom and they're trying to get it; they're listening, but maybe you're talking too fast, or maybe you're going over material they aren't as familiar with,” Reynolds said. “If they could sit at home and they can watch a video and pause it and then go back and watch it again, sometimes that helps students understand the material better.”
Third-year public health student Payton Campbell said that she retains 90% of her lectures in person but only 75% of material learned online. Campbell said writing notes, rather than just reading them, helps her learn what she has been given to learn and work through.
“I have a harder time focusing when it's a computer screen,” Campbell said. “I like having a teacher to engage with, and I often get off track … it's harder for me to find out exactly what the teacher wants me to know at what point and to what depth.”
College of Computing Engineering and Computing Department of Integrated Information Technology instructor Travis Dalton said that he noticed students in Zoom discussions favor turning off their cameras and lack the courage to raise questions like they would in person.
“I really like teaching and really like helping people, but nowadays, it's like students just want to get the class over with,” Dalton said. “It's a scary thing, because if you lean on all these technologies and AI tools, what do you really know ?”
According to a University of California, Berkeley survey, 78.8% of 850 respondents said they experienced a learning loss during COVID because of virtual learning and the 26.7% of those who did not experience a loss said they enjoyed online learning.
The rise of AI in education
The spread of artificial intelligence tools has introduced a new element to online education. Some instructors are concerned online assignments are completed using AI because it is easier to get away with cheating, which raises questions about academic integrity. Others, however, believe that AI should be embraced in the learning process rather than avoided.
Sharon Gumina, a College of Engineering and Computing Department of Integrated Information Technology instructor, said she has a policy that allows artificial intelligence, but both in-person and online classes involve video assignments to demonstrate understanding of what is being taught.
“I think we're getting into a point where our ability to interact with artificial intelligence and validate and verify the information that it's generating is a skill set now that we need to teach students, because in industry, programmers are using AI,” Gumina said.
ChatGPT and other AI tools are not only used for cheating, according to Kelly. Kelly said AI can be useful by offering questions similar to those found on a test when preparing for it.
"There's some lectures, I'm like I don't understand this, and I'll ask ChatGPT to make it simpler for me, and that'll help," Kelly said.
The future of teaching
The college of engineering is exploring new ways to preserve academic rigor while adapting to technological developments by making students submit videos showing they know the material.
According to US News & World Report, the college of engineering offers 18 online master's degree programs . USC provided 30% fewer online Carolina Core classes in 2016 than they do now, according to USC's Center for Teaching Excellence.
Stephanie Hunter, a clinical assistant instructor at the College of Social Work, said online learning is exciting because instructors can engage with students from all over the state who may be unable to attend school physically.
“When we are able to offer online education, it opens the doors for populations to seek their degrees,” Hunter said. “I think that's a very positive, permanent change that online education has offered.”
College of Education assistant professor Lucas Vasconcelos worked with online learning before the pandemic. Vasconcelos said the College of Education currently teaches not only undergraduate students seeking to be educators but also current teachers because they might not have been able to learn online while they were in school.
“It's important to offer professional development not only to pre-service but also to in-service teachers and teacher educators as well, who will train those future school teachers,” Vasconcelos said. “It is important for higher-ed institutions to invest in digital infrastructure and pathological training to enhance online learning quality.”