What did COVID-19 do to tertiary students' morale, engagement, and academic success? Navigating a 'new normal' in post-pandemic Australian public health students at QUT, Australia

What did COVID-19 do to tertiary students' morale, engagement, and academic success? Navigating a 'new normal' in post-pandemic Australian public health students at QUT, Australia

Background and Context: The proposal is grounded in a structured review of the literature conducted in late 2022. A total of ten articles were examined on the topic of student experiences throughout the Covid pandemic. While there were several articles that focused on initial lockdowns, very few articles were relevant to post-Covid tertiary education in Queensland. The domains of concern that we believe may be impacting student performance include changes to university relationships (peers, staff, formal and informal university networks), changes in delivery of university content (online classes, lecture recordings) as well as individual post-Covid factors (social anxiety, long Covid). We commenced our study with the hypothesis that there are historic and ongoing barriers pertaining to the Covid pandemic that affect student engagement.
Aim and Purpose: This study is being conducted not only to understand the unique phenomenon of post-Covid tertiary education for students, but to understand how QUT can adapt to the more permanent challenges brought about by Covid.
Methodology and Innovation: The Student Experiences Post-Covid Project is an observational, non-intervention, brief survey and qualitative (stimulus-response) study aimed at identifying the causes of QUT SPHSW student disengagement following the Covid-19 pandemic through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of QUT students’ self-reported experiences.
Discussion: There were distinct subgroups regarding online study - those whose education it hindered, students with disability for whom it was valuable, and students with commitments such as childcare and work who had mixed opinions. Consistent inhibitors to attendance and academic performance were related to the increased cost of living, working more hours, health issues, COVID-19 concerns, location, and the cost of transport and parking. Consistent enablers of class attendance were flexible timetables, supportive teachers, student interaction and engaging content. Actionable suggestions for improvement included better class times, separated online and on-campus classes, paid placements, and attendance requirements.
Lessons Learnt and Take-Home Messages: The impact of COVID-related changes on students' studies experience is mixed, with both positive and negative effects on their learning, personal lives, and social connections. Class size and attendance reduction concerns on campus may be discontinued. Covid made studying more accessible and flexible, connecting in Zoom lectures difficult and less accountable.
The increased cost of living has had a detrimental impact on student attendance and performance, and QUT’s attempt to make online study more accessible has benefited many subgroups of students while it has demotivated others.
Students suggested paid placements, after-hours classes, flexible learning approaches, engaging content, separate online and on-campus lessons, attendance requirements, and reduced transport, parking, and campus food costs.

There are no files associated with this item.