Student Perceptions of Their Online Learning Experiences

Abstract

When the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic in March 2020, educational institutions abruptly moved course instruction to online formats in synchronous or asynchronous formats. As a result, students were forced to adapt to the new learning method and change the way they had previously thought of courses. A study was conducted of 135 undergraduate students in agriculture enrolled in four different courses at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The study sought to examine traditional, on-campus students’ perceptions about their experiences with online learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these perceptions related to their learning styles and personalities. Also assessed was how different online teaching methods impacted students’ perceptions on how connected they felt with professors and classmates. Results indicated that students who are extroverted and classified as kinesthetic or visual learners had more positive perceptions about online instruction. In addition, the more semesters of college a student had completed, the more positive their perceptions of the online experience.