Online and In-Person Learning Preferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Students Attending the City University of New York

The widespread disease outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in early 2020 elicited mandated shutdowns of all facilities not considered essential to include academic institutions. Many educational institutions had to find a way to transition into online learning modalities rapidly. This study investigates whether a relationship between students’ perceptions of online learning and their academic achievement during the coronavirus outbreak exists. We hypothesized that (i) students would rate the online modality more negatively than the in-person module, (ii) STEM courses would be rated more negatively than non-STEM courses, and (iii) there was a positive correlation between grades achieved and student perceptions of the online course modality. The study found that students rated online courses more negatively than in-person courses. There were significant differences in student achievement and perception based on the course type. The study found a weak yet positive relationship between student achievement and perception of learning modality. Future studies should continue to evaluate the effects of mandated online learning on the mastery and achievement of learning outcomes. The implications from these findings can help institutions improve e-learning modules.