A virtual versus blended learning approach to higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: The experiences of a sport and exercise science student cohort

Abstract During the 2020/21 academic year most UK universities rapidly developed learning material as part of a move to blended learning, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was interspersed with periods of virtual-only delivery, aligning with national lockdowns. The previous literature suggests there are both advantages and disadvantages to virtual-only and blended learning approaches, which may impact on student satisfaction. Student satisfaction scores may be especially insightful in a student cohort enrolled on an applied sport programme, whereby practical seminars and assessments would be severely impacted by social restrictions. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of virtual and blended learning approaches in an undergraduate sport and exercise sciences cohort, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this study aimed to explore whether student perceptions of both learning modes differed between and within-year groups. Students completed an adapted version of the national student survey (NSS), pertaining to periods of virtual learning-only (n = 81) and blended learning (n = 62). When all students were considered, blended learning yielded consistently higher satisfaction scores across all survey sub-sections (teaching on my course, learning opportunities, assessment and feedback, academic support, organisation and management, learning resources, learning community and student voice) resulting in a significantly higher overall course satisfaction score (3.93 ± 0.99 vs 3.55 ± 1.11; p = 0.33; ES = 0.36). When comparing Year 1 and Year 2 students, the former had significantly higher (p