A mixed methods enquiry on student perceptions and experiences of online learning

This article reports on a small, in-depth study designed to explore qualitatively how first year Mechanical Engineering students in a UK University perceived their learning and their university experience during the academic year 2020/21, when much of the delivery was online due to the global pandemic. As we move forward to a new normal, where blended and hybrid learning will be at the centre of our education offer, it is important for us to better understand students’ experiences and perceptions of online learning. To enable this understanding, students were invited to collaborate with us in this exploration, in June 2021 following the completion of their first year at University. Two options for collaboration were offered: an online survey and an in-depth interview. In our study, the results from the online survey informed and complemented the interviews. Interviewed students generally perceived online learning as ‘second class’, with the use of breakout rooms being especially unpopular.   Students were also particularly critical of hybrid experiences relating to groupwork (when in-person and online teaching and learning happen simultaneously). At the same time, they reported many positive experiences when using online tools, such as asynchronous videos followed by a collaborative flipped classroom.  All students affirmed the importance of the social dimensions of learning and how their learning had been heavily affected by the pandemic.  Key recommendations are that academics need to better understand group dynamics when using online and hybrid approaches and that high quality feedback on assignments is even more crucial when learning is taking place online.