Title: Lessons post-lockdown: science and engineering education switching to online learning

Authors: Amarpreet Gill; Derek Irwin; Dave Towey; James Walker; Yanhui Zhang

Addresses: Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China ' School of Education and English, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China ' Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China ' Charterhouse Malaysia, 62 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ' School of Education and English, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Zhejiang, China

Abstract: For universities, COVID-19 made traditional means of providing quality teaching and learning impossible. Nevertheless, students required delivery and assessment to progress or graduate on time. Subjects in Science and Engineering with practical components presented a particular challenge, and this paper assesses institutional means and the perspectives of both instructors and students to determine best practice in this context. By triangulating institutional data (from pre- and post-pandemic policy and module delivery data) with staff and student surveys, followed up by semi-structured interviews, this paper examines both macro and micro perspectives and highlights successful and less-than-successful strategies for skill-based subjects. Somewhat surprisingly, our data indicates higher initial satisfaction among students than teachers. Further, we provide institutional and individual suggestions to implement successful online teaching and learning under different delivery scenarios (e.g., simulation vs. actualisation, or the employment of virtual and augmented reality systems) while mitigating potential negative impacts on the experience.

Keywords: COVID-19; blended learning; online-learning; quality assurance; student engagement; practical subjects; skill-based learning; teaching and learning; science and engineering; remote teaching; student learning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMLO.2022.124162

International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 2022 Vol.16 No.3, pp.287 - 309

Received: 05 Nov 2020
Accepted: 14 Apr 2021
Published online: 15 Jul 2022 *

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