Educational Distancing: A Mixed-Methods Study of Student Perceptions in the Time of Coronavirus

COVID-19 has necessitated the largest and quickest transformation of pedagogy ever seen in contemporary education. This research addresses the gaps surrounding teaching in the time of coronavirus by examining student perceptions before and after the coronavirus pandemic using mixed-methods. Study 1 qualitatively content analyzes student responses to the most and least effective aspects of teaching before and after the transition. Study 2 quantitatively analyzes differences in student pedagogical perceptions for the most effective and least effective courses before and after the transition. The results find that student performance and engagement have the most significant decrease for the most effective course, while the technical delivery was also a significant issue for the least effective course. Results also find that supportive and compassionate teaching is critical. The results build upon the gaps in crisis management, blended learning, and synchronous and asynchronous content by examining the student perspective.