Key indicators informing students’ perceptions of online learning and academic performance during the COVID- 19 pandemic

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine students’ perceptions of their online learning experience during the first wave of COVID-19. The paper highlights the actions taken by the institution in transitioning to online learning and key indicators which influenced students’ perceived online learning and academic performance during the pandemic. The study was conducted at a university and reports on quantitative and qualitative data collected from an online survey of 3257 students. Tinto and Pusser’s (2006) model of institutional actions was used as a framework to guide the study. The study’s findings forced the university to re-look at student support through new lenses. The findings from the data provided the basis for the institution to re-invent three academic policies to include a more holistic approach to learning, teaching, and student success. The policies developed were: Flexible Learning and Teaching Provision (FLTP), Assessment, and Curriculum Transformation and Renewal, which placed the student at the centre of university actions.