August 2021 Virtual Engagement Report
Table of Contents
Introduction to Code2College and the Virtual Engagement Survey
3
Virtual High School: Old Challenges and New Questions
7
12 Virtual Code2College: Interactive Programming is the Key
16 Implications for the Future: College and the Workplace
20 Appendix
Introduction to Code2College
Mission: To dramatically increase the number of minority and low-income high school students who enter and excel in STEM undergraduate majors and careers.
Code2Col lege gives students with low access to STEM careers a sol id foundation of technical and professional ski l ls, bui lding a pipel ine of diverse technical talent .
EDUCATION
EXPOSURE
EXPERIENCE
After-School Coding Education
Professional Skills Building
STEM Career Exposure
Paid, Technical Summer Internships
3
Before the pandemic Volunteers worked in teams of 3-4 to teach after-school coding classes of 20 students at central Texas high schools
The pivot to virtual classes Code2College launched its first virtual course in March 2020, with 1-2 instructors teaching classes of 6 students from 8 metro regions across the country
4
Executive Summary
We launched the Virtual Engagement Survey in April 2021 because after a full year of virtual learning, there was plenty of speculation on the challenges that students were facing. There wasn't nearly as much data.
The survey was meant to be an exploration of students' experiences, rather than an investigation of specific research questions. The data raise more questions than they answer. That's intentional: it's not a bug, it's a feature. This report is for school leaders, families, schools & school districts and employers. With virtual learning and working likely to remain central to students' experiences, we need to ensure we are preparing them for this future. We should examine their experiences with virtual learning and leverage the data to design better virtual collegiate and workplace environments. We hope this data is a valuable contribution to the ongoing conversation on how we best serve students with virtual learning here to stay. 5
data collected Apr i l 9 2021 t o Apr i l 26 2021
117 students participated
Black Hispanic/Latino
36%
24%
About the Respondents
Asian White
22%
18%
Freshman Sophomore
25.6%
American Indian Pacific Islander
1%
26.5%
1%
Junior Senior
26.5%
The Virtual Engagement Survey was sent to high school students who had taken at least one Code2College course. This population is a self-selected group of students who are highly motivated to go to college and pursue technical careers. It is not necessarily representative of a typical high school student.
0% 10% 20% 30%
21.4%
0%
5% 10% 15% 20%
25%
30%
1%: Non-binary
TX: PA: CT: MN: GA:
84% 8% 6% 2% 1%
47%: Female
52%: Male
6
Virtual High School: Old Challenges and New Questions
7
With the return of in-person learning, do you feel you will be . . .
Most students are looking forward to returning to the classroom, but over one-third feel that they have been just as successful in virtual classes Unsurprisingly, most students are looking forward to the return of in-person learning. They believe they will be more successful and better able to connect with others. A notable portion of the students, however, believe that they have adapted well and succeeded in school despite the challenges. It is important to remember that this data was collected in April 2021, a full year after the initial shock of the transition out of the classroom.
More successful in school?
36%: The same
62%: More successful
3%: Less successful
Able to connect with others more than you have in the past year?
26%: The same
67%: More able to connect
8%: Less able to connect
8
Students enjoyed the autonomy and flexibility of virtual learning, an experience that may have prepared them for the collegiate experience
When asked about the best part of virtual high school courses, the top answer matched the aspect of the college experience that is the biggest change from high school. The high schoolers suddenly experienced a level of autonomy in their education that they wouldn't have otherwise had until college. While the abrupt switch to entirely virtual courses was hard on the students, deliberately incorporating more virtual coursework into high school education could ease the transition to college and adult life. It could even be the key to college success for some of the approximately 20% of college freshmen who don't return for a second year . 1
What was the best part of virtual high school courses?
Greater autonomy/flexibility More comfortable environment Working at my own pace
30%
25%
19%
Getting more sleep Less travel required Safer to be at home
17%
7% 3%
0% 10% 20% 30%
9
However, that autonomy came with a struggle to stay focused on school work
Educators, parents and anyone who remembers what it was like to be in high school may be unsurprised by this finding. Yet it remains a key challenge as we redesign courses for a better virtual experience. How do we encourage engagement and interaction in virtual courses? How do we leverage technology to improve the student experience, rather than simply replicating the traditional classroom format at a distance? It is important to note that some of these challenges were amplified by the specific conditions of the pandemic. With more preparedness, reduced external stressors and deliberate design, we can address these issues rather than giving up on virtual courses.
What was the worst part of virtual high school courses?
Difficulty staying focused
33%
Lack of motivation Lack of social interaction Less interaction with teachers Learning is more stressful
15%
13%
12%
11%
Technical problems Feeling disconnected Less content covered
7%
6%
3%
0%
10% 20% 30%
10
Which of the following challenges did you experience with virtual high school courses?
Each of the challenges that students cited were shared by a majority of their peers, illustrating the urgency of addressing them all Most of these experiences appeared in the data on the worst parts of virtual courses, but this question illustrates the pervasiveness of each issue. Students reported struggling with an average of 7 of these 12 challenges. One issue that shouldn't be overlooked is technical difficulties, experienced by 59% of the students. While these issues will always occur as students and teachers learn new systems, there is a larger threat to education access. With computers and high speed internet access now vital to education at every level, school districts need to pay close attention and devote resources to addressing technology inequities.
70%
Difficulty staying focused
68%
Feeling distracted during lessons
67%
Limited interaction with other students
62%
Feelings of stress due to class work and learning environment
62%
Difficulty staying motivated to complete class work
62%
Limited interaction with teacher
Technical issues with computer
59%
Unable to get immediate feedback and answers
57%
57%
Felt disconnected from teacher and academic subject
53%
Distractions and interruptions from home
52%
Difficulty understanding assignments
48%
Eyestrain/headache from too much screens
11
0%
20%
40%
60%
Virtual Code2College: Interactive Programming is the Key
12
80% of our focus group would be likely to choose virtual Code2College programming
On a scale of 1-5, how connected did you feel to Code2College instructors and other students?
In July 2021 as we were analyzing the results of the survey, we asked a group of 5 of the respondents some follow up questions. We hadn't directly asked whether students would choose to attend future Code2College classes in-person or virtually, so we brought that question to the group. Their answers were a surprise beyond even our most optimistic expectations. 80% said they would choose virtual programming for reasons ranging from transportation issues to social comfort. Turning back to the survey data, where 69% of the students rated their connection with instructors and other students a 4 or 5 out of 5, we found plenty to suggest that the wider group may share their preference.
40%
30%
20%
10%
3%
9% 18% 48% 21%
0%
1
2
3
4
5
While Code2College's tech and college prep focus may be a factor in the positive reaction, we believe this could have implications for a range of wraparound programs with feasible virtual options.
13
What was the best part of Code2College virtual programming?
30%
Instructor and small group interaction No travel, easier to fit it in Content is interesting The format works for the tech content More comfortable environment Working at my own pace 0%
27%
21%
13%
Code2College's format emphasized interaction, addressing the biggest concerns of virtual high school
5%
4%
20%
30%
10%
Code2College had greater flexibility than high schools to change our model as we launched our first virtual course in March 2020. Maintaining approximately the same ratio of volunteers to students, we scaled our classes down to groups of just six students led by one or two volunteers and placed a heavy emphasis on active participation from all students. The switch to virtual improved access to our programming both by allowing us to easily expand our reach past central Texas and by removing the transportation barrier. One of the students in our focus group emphasized that he would not have been able to participate otherwise, as there was no bus to take him home from after-school classes. 14
More than half of the issues students reported are not unique to virtual programming, but all of them require attention as we design for the virtual environment
While it comes with new problems to solve, virtual programming has meaningfully improved access for many students and we should not go backwards. Being aware of these challenges will help us iterate on our programming as we continue to test and learn. Challenges unique to virtual programming were reported as the worst part of these classes by 37% of the students. These included technical difficulties, a lack of social interaction and trouble staying focused. 54% of students who reported negatives to virtual programming identified issues that existed for wrap- around programs in the traditional setting as well, such as trouble getting individual help from volunteers and needing to make the time to participate.
What was the worst part of Code2College virtual programming?
17%
Technical difficulties
15% 15%
Hard to get individual help
Content is challenging
13%
Making time to participate
12%
No in-person interaction
11%
Social discomfort None
9%
8%
Staying focused
0%
5% 10% 15%
15
Implications for the Future: College and the Workplace
16
. . . but going to their preferred college to access their chosen network is more important Attending their preferred college is key to developing the network that will support them through school and into the future. Students recognize that value. Universities need to pay close attention not only to the success of their virtual courses, but to how they foster community and provide opportunities for connection.
Students want in-person learning . . .
Students have spent the past year adapting to virtual learning. Yet there are clearly still aspects of in-person instruction that they've missed and want to have in college. They seem to recognize, however, that another aspect of college is a bigger reason for attending their preferred school.
On a scale of 1-5, how important is it for your college to offer in-person instruction?
If you found out that your preferred college was only offering virtual courses, would you still attend?
18% would begin searching for another school to attend
10% would wait to attend when they were offering in- person instruction again
2 1 0% 7% 13% 35% 45% 3 4 5
17
72% would still attend the college
Interns would consider remote work for their future jobs, but want to experience the office first
All five of the students we talked to who completed remote software engineering internships this year expressed an openness to continuing remote or hybrid work in the future, noting the eliminated commuting time. Having never worked in an office however, they all of them want to have that in-person experience for comparison.
The five interns agreed that remote work was a big improvement over virtual high school.
They got a preview of the autonomy and increased responsibility that they would experience at work. Three students, however, noted big differences in the format. With short interactive meetings and instant answers to their questions by sending messages to their teammates, remote work offered the connectedness that their first virtual high school experiences lacked.
18
This report brings student voice into the conversation about virtual learning. Big questions remain to be answered and we look forward to continuing this work.
What are the appropriate scaffolds for maintaining students' focus in virutal courses?
How can we offer enriching ways for students to connect in a virtual setting?
How can schools and wrap-around programs build in flexibility for students to choose the course formats that work best for them?
How can colleges provide the same network-building opportunities for virtual students?
How can employers meet the needs to new graduates with an increasingly virtual workforce?
19
Appendix
20
How has your social media use changed over the past year?
Students reported increased social media use as they attempted to stay connected from home Social media become more important to many people in the past year, particularly those under strict restrictions on social gatherings. It could also be one factor in the students' difficulty staying focused in
58%: Increased
9%: Decreased
9%: I don't use social media
24%: Stayed the same
What social media platforms do you use?
68%
Snapchat TikTok Discord Twitter Facebook
54%
51%
22%
21%
virtual school without teachers keeping them off their phones.
8% 8%
Other None
10%
21
0%
20%
40%
60%
Most students experienced both asynchronous and live online istruction
What type of instruction have you experienced?
87% of the students have experienced asynchronous courses as part of their high school education in the past year. This format, where students watch videos and submit online assignments without a live meeting or lecture, departs even further from the traditional class format. There are benefits to asynchronous course formats, including relieving scheduling conflicts and allowing for even more flexibility in the pace of work. What should inform the decision on having a class with live online instruction vs. asynchronous?
78%: Both
9%: Asynchronous Learning Only
13%: Live Online Instruction Only
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