Abstract:

As students returned to in-person classes after the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding students’ preferences and experiences in different modes of instruction helped minimize barriers to students’ learning. This study investigates the motivation, experience and performance of students in online and in-person mathematics courses and resources that students found helpful in achieving success.

The research questions guiding this study are:
1) What are students’ motivations for choosing online versus in-person modes of learning and instruction?
2) In expressing a preference for one mode of instruction over another, what do students cite as most helpful in either mode?
3) How do students rate their engagement within each mode of instruction?

The findings from this study are aimed at understanding students’ motivations and preferences for instruction, which could help faculty with refining their teaching. Motivations such as convenience, commute, being able to take care of family members, and keeping a job were reported as salient for choosing online learning. The analysis also shows that students reported guided in-lecture and discussion worksheets, short pre-recorded lecture videos as most helpful in achieving success in mathematics courses. Moreover, various levels of engagements were reported in different modalities, with the online students reporting a higher level of engagement. Providing different modalities of mathematics learning and teaching are important as these different modalities meet the various needs of our diverse student population.

Keywords:

Motivation, Modes of Instruction, Student Experiences, Engagement, Student Success.