Teaching professional skills during the pandemic: Does delivery mode matter?

Abstract

This study explores how the transition to online course delivery during the pandemic impacted a professional skills course that incorporates in-class and out of class experiential learning activities. We compare student performance on a resume writing assignment, a LinkedIn profile creation assignment, a mock interview with members of local businesses, and overall class scores during Fall 2019 when the professional skills course was delivered face-to-face with student performance during Fall 2020 when the course was delivered online. We explore whether the effect of delivery mode varied as a function of student sex, race and first-generation college status. Our results indicate students performed better on the resume and LinkedIn assignments when the course was delivered online than when it was offered face-to-face, and there was no difference in mock interview or overall class performance. Despite concerns that women, racial minorities and first-generation students could suffer disproportionately in the online version of the course, the relationship between class delivery mode and student performance did not vary as a function of these student characteristics. This is encouraging for institutions interested in offering these courses, and underscores the importance of future research that expands our understanding of when different delivery modes are appropriate.