The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Engineering Foundation Student Course Experience

Abstract

This study explored the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the academic quality of a Foundation in Engineering programme. A Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) was administered before and during the pandemic to evaluate the six dimensions of academic quality – assessment, workload, teaching, academic environment, standards, and skills development. A total of 234 students participated in the study and the findings revealed that course satisfaction decreased during the pandemic. Many students were not satisfied with the teaching quality and skills development of the emergency online learning. On the contrary, students rated online assessment (during COVID-19) positively for being more appropriate in testing higher order thinking skills. The study suggested that online classes lack formal and informal social interactions to enhance various facets of skills development. Given the limitations of emergency online learning, the future of education might include moving towards blended learning.