Impact of COVID-19 on the Integrated Master of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Porto

Abstract

This paper focuses on the effect of the current COVID-19 global pandemic on the education system, namely on Mechanical Engineering courses offered at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. A brief description of the responsive measures adopted is presented regarding the necessary adaptations to distance learning because of law-enforced social distancing and public hygiene measures. Short surveys were answered by both students and faculty members to evaluate their opinion on this topic. Analogous questions on these surveys allowed for the direct comparison of their perspectives. A statistical analysis of students’ final marks on all lectured courses was also implemented, which provided insight as to whether distance learning and assessment methods have had significant impact on their performance. This study showed that the pandemic had a significant impact, affecting students and professors.