Academia During The Covid-19 Pandemic
A Study within the Geotechnical Engineering Research Community
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol9.iss1.2906Keywords:
COVID-19, Working efficiency, Intellectual development, Academia, Online learning, SurveyAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on both education and research activities. A survey conducted within the geotechnical engineering and earth science academic communities between April 22 and 24 explored the variables that affect working efficiency and intellectual development during the pandemic period. We received 274 complete responses from faculty and graduate students in North America, Europe, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia. The four variables that correlate best with individuals’ perceived consequences of the pandemic are: setting daily goals, focus on academic tasks, time spent reading literature outside core research or on professional development, and commitment to exploring deeper scientific concepts. Overall, 28% of the respondents exhibit a positive outlook. For the other 72%, living with non-family members or with children, hindered access to needed materials, and excessive time spent with video entertainment exacerbated the perception of potential negative consequences of the pandemic. Observed percentages and trends are very similar across age, gender, living conditions and regardless of regional/national restrictions. Two complementary surveys addressed faculty choices for online education and student preferences. These results document the effective transition from in-person to online education using readily available technology, and highlight students’ preferences for in-person education followed by live online platforms; pre-recorded lectures emerge as the least preferable choice.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Bardelli, A. (2020). Coronavirus lockdown: what I learnt when I shut my cancer lab in 48 hours. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00826-7
Cao, W., Fang, Z., Hou, G., Han, M., Xu, X., Dong, J., & Zheng, J. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China. Psychiatry research, 287, 112934-112934. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112934
Destoumieux-Garzón, D., Mavingui, P., Boetsch, G., Boissier, J., Darriet, F., Duboz, P., Fritsch, C., Giraudoux, P., Le Roux, F., Morand, S., Paillard, C., Pontier, D., Sueur, C & Voituron, Y. (2018). The one health concept: 10 Years old and a long road ahead. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5(14), pp.1-13, doi:10.3389/fvets.2018.00014
LePan, N. (2020). Visualizing the history of pandemics, https://www.visualcapitalist.com
McMichael, A.J. (2004). Environmental and social influences on emerging infectious diseases: past, present and future. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 359(1447), 1049-1058. doi:10.1098/rstb.2004.1480
Minello, A. (2020). The pandemic and the female academic. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01135-9
Paterlini, M. (2020). Lockdown in Italy: personal stories of doing science during the COVID-19 lockdown. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01001-8
Roser, M., Ritchie, H., Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Hasell, J. (2020). Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). OurWorldinData, https://ourworldindata.org
Sabbatani, S., & Fiorino, S. (2009). The Antonine Plague and the decline of the Roman Empire. Infez Med, 17(4), 261-275
S&P Dow Jones Indices (2020). Dow Jones Industrial Average, https://us.spindices.com
Stenseth, N.C., Atshabar, B.B., Begon, M., Belmain, S.R., Bertherat, E., Carniel, E., Gage, K.L., Leirs, H., & Rahalison, L. (2008). Plague: past, present, and future. PLoS Med, 5(1), pp. 9-13, doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050003
SurveyMonkey Inc (2020). https://www.surveymonkey.com
Tormey, R., Sarrade I., & Jermann, P. (2020). Online learning experience questionnaire. Teaching Support and Center for Digital Education, EPFL, https://www.epfl.ch
US Department of Labor (2020). Unemployment insurance weekly claims data, https://oui.doleta.gov
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Gabrielle Abelskamp, J. Carlos Santamarina
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the Publisher. The Editors reserve the right to edit or otherwise alter all contributions, but authors will receive proofs for approval before publication.
Copyrights for articles published in IJIER journals are retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.
Accepted 2021-01-05
Published 2021-01-01
