Analysis of Engineering Technology Students' Digital Footprints in Synchronous and Asynchronous Blended Courses

The COVID-19 pandemic created an enormous challenge to academic institutions in the United States and around the world. Most higher education institutions in the United States shut down campuses and completed the second half of the spring 2020 semester virtually. During the fall 2020 semester, some institutions started with face-to-face classes but had to switch to virtual learning after noticing an increase in positive cases. Others adopted a blended approach to supplement face-to-face meetings. None of these approaches necessarily resolved the challenges faced by Engineering Technology programs which typically incorporate more laboratory and other hands-on modules in their curriculum. Due to the applied nature of Engineering Technology programs, it is important even in the era of COVID-19 to ensure that students stay engaged in creative ways to learn by doing. Consequently, this a posteriori study was initiated to learn about the level that Engineering Technology students engaged with online course materials during the spring and fall 2020 semesters. Thus, the lessons learned can be applied to future courses that incorporate blended learning. This paper reviews students' patterns of interactions with course videos to assess their relationship with the academic success of the students in some upper-level blended courses. It was observed that the students who performed better in the courses demonstrated at least a 44% level of engagement with course materials.