Houston, we Have a Pandemic: Technical Difficulties, Distractions and Online Student Engagement

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a massive shift to remote education, as college students rely on technology to attend class and interact with instructors and peers, while possibly facing technical and situational difficulties at home. Considering the unprecedented situation, the purpose of the present study was to explore student engagement in a small private, American college in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic, where classes were transitioned mid-semester to synchronous online. It was hypothesized that student engagement would be negatively correlated with both technical difficulties and home distractions. Moreover, we investigated whether computer self-efficacy would mediate the former relationship. The survey sample consisted of 78 undergraduate students, recruited online. Participants completed scales on online student engagement, technical difficulties, home distractions and computer self-efficacy, as well as two exploratory open-ended questions on their attitudes towards online classes. Student engagement was negatively correlated with both technical difficulties and home distractions, while computer self-efficacy mediated the relationship between student engagement and technical difficulties. Students reported that what they enjoyed most in e-classes were the exact aspects that interfered with their learning and engagement. The most commonly reported concern in online courses was impaired concentration and technical issues, while flexibility, time efficiency and home comfort were the aspects that students enjoyed most. The study aims to shed light on engagement in remote learning, as online classes may eventually become an integral component of higher education after the return to a so-called new normality. Suggestions to improve student engagement based on the findings are provided. peerReviewed acceptedVersion