COVID-19 and Community College Instructional Responses

Authors

  • Cassandra M.D. Hart University of California, Davis
  • Di Xu
  • Michael Hill
  • Emily Alonso

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i1.2568

Keywords:

Online education, distance education, emergency remote instruction, distance learning resources, COVID-19, community colleges

Abstract

Like all educational institutions, community colleges rapidly shifted to online instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about what factors shaped individual college responses.  This survey of distance education leaders (N = 45) in the California community colleges system aimed to: a) characterize pre-COVID distance education resources, emergency responses to the pandemic, and readiness for online instruction in the fall, and b) determine how pre-COVID distance education resources, emergency responses, and fall readiness relate to each other.  We find wide variability in pre-COVID distance education resources. These pre-existing resources were related to institutions’ responses: Colleges with fewer pre-COVID resources focused on foundational efforts such as creating online student services, while institutions with greater pre-COVID resources offered somewhat broader responses to training students and faculty in skills to successfully transition online. Finally, although colleges improved their readiness for continued remote instruction in the fall term in terms of training faculty and providing students with technology to access classes, respondents estimated that roughly a third of students would still face barriers accessing remote classes.

Author Biographies

Cassandra M.D. Hart, University of California, Davis

Cassandra Hart is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis.

Di Xu

Di Xu is an Associate Professor at the School of Education, University of California, Irvine and a Research Affiliate of the Community College Research Center, Columbia University.

Michael Hill

Michael Hill is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the School of Education and the UCI Education Research Initiative at the University of California, Irvine.

Emily Alonso

Emily Alonso is a doctoral student in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis.

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Published

2021-03-01

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 1 (2021)

Section

Section I: Investigating Teaching, Learning, and Student Supports in the U.S.

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