The impact of virtual or blended learning on sense of belonging in first-year undergraduate health sciences students enrolled in an inquiry-based course

Abstract

Literature suggests post-secondary students felt disengaged and socially isolated while learning virtually, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we explored whether a sense of belonging is differentially achieved in an inquiry-based course between two different delivery formats: virtual and blended (combination of virtual and in-person). Our primary measurement instrument was a modified version of the 26-item Sense of Belonging-Revised Scale, which we distributed to all first-year health sciences students enrolled in an Inquiry course at [institution name removed for blinding purposes] University during the 2021-2022 school year. Data analyses revealed no statistically significant difference between the two groups across the four subscales of the Sense of Belonging-Revised Scale: perceived peer support, perceived classroom comfort, perceived isolation, and perceived faculty support. As promoting community is a core skill in our Inquiry course, this may have reduced the perceived difference between the two groups.  Future directions include exploring facilitators’ perceptions and experiences across course delivery formats.