Student-teacher out-of-class communication on engineering courses during the COVID-19 pandemic: from face-to-face to videocalls

Out-of-class communication between teachers and students is essential throughout university engineering courses for in-depth explanations of the concepts covered in class. This study evaluates this aspect throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, a survey that addressed this issue was administered to students at the beginning (March 2020) and at the end (May 2020) of the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain, and at the end of each semester of the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years. The results were analyzed with statistical, qualitative, and mixed methods. E-mail usage was widely observed at the beginning of the pandemic, while the use of online videoconferencing tools progressed during that time, thanks to their temporal and spatial flexibility, and the direct and personal nature of student-teacher contact through those channels. Its success was linked to the prior training of teachers in the use of videoconferencing, the establishment of fixed schedules for the meetings, and the use of digital whiteboards that instantaneously display writing when discussing problems. According to the opinions of students, videocalls could be used for questions on theoretical and easy practical aspects despite the resumption of out-of-class face-to-face meetings. Videoconferencing tools for educational communication between engineering students and teachers seem to be here to stay.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the importance of out-of-class communication between teachers and students in university engineering courses, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that email usage was common at the beginning of the pandemic, but online videoconferencing tools became more popular due to their flexibility and personal nature. The success of videoconferencing was attributed to teacher training, fixed meeting schedules, and the use of digital whiteboards. Despite the resumption of face-to-face meetings, students still found video calls useful for theoretical and easy practical questions. Videoconferencing tools for educational communication in engineering courses are likely to continue being used.