Data collected from surveys administered at the University of Washington Seattle in in-person settings prior to COVID-19 and in Spring 2020 and Winter 2021, after COVID-19 impacted the delivery of higher education (N = 1,655), were used in this report. Measures of faculty support and interactions, TA support and interactions, and peer support were analyzed in the context of classes offered in traditional classroom settings prior to 2020 and in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic from Spring 2020 to Winter 2021. A total of 19 sophomore and junior level courses were studied in electrical and computer engineering as well as in mechanical engineering. Seven of the courses were the same in remote and in-person survey populations, and the remaining five courses were similar in that they were required for the engineering degree and involved significant TA support. The survey also included five short answer questions which asked students to identify their primary expectations for faculty support (one question), TA support (one question), and peer support (three questions). Other reports and publications regarding these and other measures studied in the survey are listed at the end of this report and will be updated regularly.
Instructional support was measured using multiple Likert-scale items representing faculty support and interactions, TA support and interactions, and peer support. Faculty support was measured using 11 items (i.e., questions) on a 5-point scale ranging from 1-Strongly Disagree to 5-Strongly Agree with a reliability (i.e., internal consistency, measured by Cronbach’s alpha) of 0.92. TA support and Peer support were measured on the same Likert-scale using 12 items and 4 items with reliabilities of 0.92 and 0.87 respectively. Faculty interactions and TA interactions were measured on a 5-point scale ranging from 1-Never to 5-Very Often and consisted of 4 and 6 items with reliabilities of 0.93 and 0.92 respectively. Reliabilities greater than 0.7 are considered acceptable for the use of these measures in further statistical analyses.
The table below provides basic demographics regarding gender and race/ethnicity of students who participated in the survey. Black, Hispanic/Latino, other Underrepresented Minority (URM (Other)), Asian, White, and Asian/White groups include only U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The International group includes foreign students of all races.
| Black | Hispanic/Latino | URM (Other) | Asian | White | Mixed Asian/White | International | Subtotal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 39 | 45 | 54 | 318 | 482 | 52 | 217 | 1207 |
| Female | 8 | 11 | 21 | 150 | 145 | 27 | 42 | 404 |
| Other | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Subtotal | 47 | 57 | 75 | 468 | 634 | 80 | 259 | 1620 |
The mean, standard deviation, median, minimum, and maximum of instructional support outcomes of all respondents across all courses, both in in-person and remote settings, are reported below.
| Sample Size | Mean | Standard Deviation | Median | Minimum | Maximum | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty Support | 1652 | 3.97 | 0.69 | 4.00 | 1 | 5 |
| Faculty Interactions | 1649 | 1.74 | 0.89 | 1.38 | 1 | 5 |
| TA Support | 1652 | 3.68 | 0.76 | 3.75 | 1 | 5 |
| TA Interactions | 1649 | 1.49 | 0.89 | 1.00 | 1 | 5 |
| Peer Support | 1652 | 3.83 | 0.81 | 4.00 | 1 | 5 |
Data are presented using boxplots where the top “whisker” ends in the maximum value of the sample population and the bottom “whisker” ends in the minimum value. The box itself represents data that falls between the 25th percentile and the 75th percentile. Boxplots are presented for the entire sample population, for the subpopulations representing students in 200-level courses during traditional learning, 200 level courses in remote learning, and 300 level courses in remote learning.
Faculty support represented how well students thought that a professor in a particular class supported their learning. Eleven Likert-scale items were used to measure faculty support and included such statements as “The professor in this class is interested in helping me learn.” A complete list of items used to measure faculty support is provided at the end of this page. The red “Mean (Faculty Support)” line in the boxplot represents the mean faculty support score for all survey respondents in both remote and traditional learning settings.
Faculty interactions represented the degree to which students interacted with the professor in a particular course. Eight Likert-scale items were used to measure faculty interactions and included such items as “I have discussed academic work with the professor in this class.” A complete list of items used to measure faculty interactions is provided at the end of this page. The red “Mean (Faculty Interactions)” line in the boxplot represents the mean faculty interactions score for all survey respondents in both remote and traditional learning settings.
TA support represented how well students thought that at least one teaching assistant (TA) in a particular class supported their learning and contained items that were similar to the Faculty Support Scale. Twelve Likert-scale items were used to measure TA support and included such items as “At least one of the TAs or secondary instructors in this class has clearly explained course goals and requirements.” A complete list of items used to measure TA support is provided at the end of this page. The red “Mean (TA Support)” line in the boxplot represents the mean TA support score for all survey respondents in both remote and traditional learning settings.
TA interactions represented to what degree students thought they interacted with at least one teaching assistant (TA) in a particular class and contained items that were similar to the Faculty Interactions Scale. Four Likert-scale items were used to measure TA support and included such items as “I have discussed career plans with at least one of the TAs or secondary instructors in this class.” A complete list of items used to measure TA interactions is provided at the end of this page. The red “Mean (TA Interactions)” line in the boxplot represents the mean TA interactions score for all survey respondents in both remote and traditional learning settings.
Peer support represented how well students thought that their peers supported their learning in a particular course. Four Likert-scale items were used to measure Peer support and included such items as “In this class, other students are helpful to me.” A complete list of items used to measure peer support is provided at the end of this page. The red “Mean (Peer Support)” line in the boxplot represents the mean peer support score for all survey respondents in both remote and traditional learning settings.
If you are interested in further insight into the data collected in this survey, please feel free to contact Prof. Denise Wilson at denisew (at) uw.edu.
(measured on 5-point Likert scale: 1–Strongly Disagree to 5–Strongly Agree)
(measured on 5-point Likert scale: 1–Never to 5–Very Often)
(measured on 5-point Likert scale: 1–Strongly Disagree to 5–Strongly Agree)
(measured on 5-point Likert scale: 1–Never to 5–Very Often)
(measured on 5-point Likert scale: 1–Strongly Disagree to 5–Strongly Agree)