FACE-TO-FACE VS. ONLINE LEARNING in SCIENCE and ENGINEERING COURSES DURING COVID-19 EPOCH

BackgroundThe new teaching scenario after COVID-19 results in the adoption of a complete online environment, providing a unique opportunity to compare in site (face-to-face) vs virtual (online) teaching. Due to the pandemic, practical activities have been replaced by written protocols supported with photos, video-recorded demos, linearsimulations, remote-controlled real laboratory instruments and so forth.PurposeThis article describes the adaptation from in site to online teaching in science and engineering subjects in a Spanish University during COVID-19. Advantages and drawbacks, along with the process adopted (from education tools through virtualization tools) are comprehensively explained, including an inquiry-based learning (IBL) methodology for teaching laboratory courses.SampleCourses in Chemistry (cohort size of 100 students), Pharmacy (50 students), Industrial Electronics and Automation Engineering (110 and 30 students) at the University of Alcala.MethodsThe outcomes of the teaching-learning process were evaluated via online tests and rubrics. The impact of online adaptation was assessed by comparing the marks of the different test and the dropout rate in the subjects with those obtained from groups of previous years in the face-to-face mode and feedback from the students. Anonymous survey was conducted to attain a comprehensive understanding of the students' experiences with virtual learning.ResultsThe developed approaches are beneficial for the teaching-learning process and lead to a higher number of students passing the subjects compared to the face-to-face modality. Some challenges students encountered were internet connection, managing workload andovercoming distractions. Nonetheless, most students benefited from the flexibility and better accessibility to the course material, timesaving and relax environment.ConclusionOur findings provided evidence in favor of remote learning. Both students and instructors regard the strategy as very positive. The new methodologies reported herein can be extended to online teaching courses beyond the COVID-19 scenario.