What Fresno State learned about online instruction during two years of the pandemic

We are more than two years into a large-scale, unplanned foray into online instruction at Fresno State. Last fall, we released preliminary findings after our shift to virtual mode, and as we approach the end of this academic year, lessons come into clearer focus. What have we learned and how will we move forward?

Temporarily moving classes online taught us some hard lessons: Student learning and student well-being suffered. This is clear, even granting that it is impossible to separate the sudden shift to online instruction from other pandemic impacts that disrupted our lives. In rapid-response survey responses in 2020 and 2021, students reported struggles with motivation and concentration, a lack of access to appropriate learning environments and a sense of isolation from their peers. These issues, which we know play key roles in student success, improved significantly in fall 2021, when more than half our classes returned to in-person instruction.

Despite moving student support services online for greater accessibility during the pandemic, academic advising appointments decreased by 20% and visits to academic support services, such as tutoring and supplemental instruction, dropped by 60%. Given the value and effectiveness of these programs, we believe that this resulted in diminished GPAs and higher than usual failure rates, from which many students are still trying to recover.

These factors also contributed to students leaving Fresno State at alarming rates. For example, freshman first-semester retention rates dropped from 96% beforehand to 90% in 2020, then partially rebounded to 93% this year. At-risk student populations — underrepresented minorities, low-income, and/or first-generation students — left at even higher rates.

A comparison of pass rates in fully online, fully in-person, and hybrid courses in fall 2021 provided more insight into the relationship between course modality and student success. Overall, pass rates were 1.5% lower in online courses, and almost 3% lower in hybrid ones, but a closer look reveals a more complex picture. Students who were new to Fresno State, particularly first-time freshmen, struggled more with online instruction. They had pass rates more than 5% lower in online or hybrid classes. Other groups, including minority, male and first-generation students, also fared worse in online courses than their peers. This difference amounts to approximately 830 students failing a class in fall 2021 who would otherwise have passed. These failures represent delays toward graduation for students with aspirations and potential.

Our future certainly holds a place for online learning, based on best practices and carefully designed curricula. Despite the superhuman efforts of our faculty to provide quality learning experiences under serious constraints, outcomes in these nascent courses may not reflect faculty potential to teach when curricular development and pedagogical training can be implemented to greater effectiveness.

That said, data consistently show that certain at-risk student populations are not served as well by online courses as by in-person classes, and we must provide an equitable educational setting conducive to their learning needs. Our challenge is: How do we strike a balance of teaching modalities that optimizes student success? Online course options are convenient, but it is evident that most students learn more effectively via in-person instruction that allows them to engage one another, have direct access to faculty and develop a sense of belonging. Direct engagement facilitates their development as emerging professionals in their disciplines and immerses them in campus life.

Looking ahead, we will continue to learn how to provide well-designed online classes to students for whom this is a suitable learning modality — and this can be accomplished with further faculty development and the careful selection of courses that show improved learning outcomes over ones that show diminished outcomes.

By engaging with one another, our students develop socially, psychologically and professionally. Our professors also continue to grow, refining their research, modes of instruction, and scholarly and creative expression. Our best way to flourish along this journey is to be present and to generate our collective energy, fueled by our shared curiosity, creativity, and aspirations for our community.

For now, online instruction will enhance, rather than replace, the traditional classroom experience that has supported generations of Fresno State students.