Impact of Modality on Workload among Engineering Undergraduates during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented disruptions in models for engineering student training. At The Citadel, an undergraduate-focused college in the Southeastern United States, a variety of modalities were implemented following the onset of the pandemic, including emergency online and Hyflex learning. We conducted a longitudinal study to analyze the cognitive load among our undergraduate engineering students throughout changing modalities. Using data from the NASA Task Load Index (TLX) and open-ended reflections on student challenges, we found that total workload (a surrogate for cognitive load) was generally highest during emergency online learning in the second half of Spring 2020 semester, with experiences possibly varying across different demographic and academic groups. Emergency online challenges were often related to time management, personal organization, and responsibility for learning. In contrast, HyFlex challenges were often related to technology and communication challenges. While emergency online learning was a cognitive load disruption, that disruption was often associated with personal and/or academic development. HyFlex learning mediated cognitive load disruption;although, student challenges may have been simple nuisances rather than mediators of developmental change. © 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Impacts of Emergency Online Instruction on Engineering Students' Perceived Cognitive Load during Learning Assessments

CONTEXT A primarily undergraduate military college shifted from face-to-face instruction to emergency online instruction in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are examining student experiences with the shift using Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), which asserts that learning is hindered when cognitive load overwhelms finite working memory capacity. At the onset of the pandemic, we hypothesized that the need to manage learning in new and changing modalities may increase students' cognitive load and development. PURPOSE OR GOAL We seek to triangulate a previous finding that middle-years students experienced more cognitive load demands than either freshmen or seniors during the Spring 2020 semester. In this study, we examine cognitive load experienced by students in sophomore-, junior-, and senior-level civil engineering courses when engaging in various types of summative assessments. Our goal was to understand how academic course level and assessment type (closed-ended vs. open-ended) may have impacted cognitive load among students. APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODS We are engaged in a longitudinal mixed-methods study to explore the impacts of changing modalities on cognitive load and student development during the pandemic. For this study, we measured cognitive load experienced during five assessments administered across civil engineering courses of different academic levels using the NASA Task Load Index (TLX). The TLX is a rigorously-developed instrument that quantifies workload (a surrogate for cognitive load) across six dimensions: mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration. We used non-parametric analysis to identify differences in cognitive workload by course level and assessment type. We supplemented interpretation of findings through analysis of open-ended questions and focus group transcripts. ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES Sophomores and juniors experienced summative assessments differently than seniors, a finding that is consistent with our previous publications suggesting that modality changes may have disproportionately impacted middle-years students. Analysis of TLX data showed that sophomores and juniors reported highest time-demand and frustration, respectively, during closed-ended assessments. Open-ended assessments elicited significant frustration among juniors, a trend that was not observed for seniors. Qualitatively, both sophomores and juniors discussed workload-associated aspects of the modality shift more than seniors. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY We seek to further understand the unique experiences of middle-years students as a means for developing recommendations for managing cognitive load during online engineering courses - whether planned or unplanned. Copyright © Mary K. Watson, Elise Barrella, Kevin Skenes, Benjamin Kicklighter and Aidan Puzzio, 2021.

Self-Directed Learning Readiness among Engineering Students during Emergency Online Instruction

Work-In-Progress: In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, many higher education institutions in the United States rapidly transitioned to emergency online learning. At The Citadel, a residential military college with additional veteran/active duty and college transfer populations, undergraduate engineering courses before the pandemic were administered solely through face-to-face instruction. As such, changing modalities during the pandemic were a very new experience for our students. We hypothesized that students might develop improved self-directed learning readiness due to the need to manage learning in new and changing course modalities. In this study, we present changes in self-directed learning readiness among our undergraduate engineering students, as measured by the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, at the beginning and end of emergency online instruction during the Spring 2020 semester. Generally, SDLRS scores increased during six weeks of emergency online instruction. However, juniors were the only academic class who did not experience gains in self-directed learning readiness. Interestingly, we earlier found that juniors experienced an increase in more cognitive load dimensions than other academic classes during the Spring 2020 semester. We are currently analyzing qualitative data and SDLRS scores collected in subsequent semesters to better understand the relationship between development of self-directed learning readiness and cognitive load.

Beyond Continuity of Instruction-Innovating a Geomatics Course Using Problem-based Learning and Open-source Software

Geomatics, with an emphasis on developing students' competencies in Geographic Information Systems, is a technology-intensive course. During the Spring 2020 semester, The Citadel shifted to online continuity of instruction after midterms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Geomatics instructor was faced with ensuring academic continuity and quality without remote student access to licensed GIS software. The instructor pivoted to use of QGIS, an open-source software, and a carefully-scaffolded project to equip students with essential GIS skills. Test 3 included two equally-weighted parts: (1) conceptual GIS questions and (2) a new open-ended project, which required students to use GIS to investigate a real-world scenario. Synchronous and asynchronous support was provided to afford students the flexibility needed to manage home commitments and technology challenges. Nevertheless, students' potential for increased (even unmanageable) cognitive load was high, due to the new modality, pedagogy and software. We investigated the impacts of the post-pandemic Geomatics course on students' cognitive load and academic performance through the lens of Cognitive Load Theory, which asserts that cognitive overload can hinder learning. Based on students' NASA Task Load Index scores, Test 3 workload was on par with their face-to-face engineering courses and lower than their online engineering courses. We expect that the cognitive load associated with the project and new software was manageable and not a barrier to learning. Performance on the project was substantially higher than on the closed-ended Test 3 questions, which supports that the project-based approach was integral to helping students achieve GIS competencies. Final exam performance was lower than in previous years, which may suggest that the mid-semester modality shift impacted their ability to fully synthesize material from the semester. Future course offerings will use the project to provide students with authentic engagement with GIS and real-world topics, while QGIS will remain an option for remote instruction. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

Asymptomatic Pre-Operative COVID-19 Screening for Essential and Elective Surgeries: Early Results of Universal Screening at a Midwestern Academic Medical Center

Background: During the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide pandemic, viral testing has largely focused on patients presenting with fever and respiratory symptoms. Although Centers for Disease Control has reported 1,551,095 cases in the United States as of May 21, 2020, asymptomatic infection rates remain unknown within the U.S., especially in geographically disparate regions. Methods: On April 7, 2020 our hospital established universal SARS-CoV-2 screening using RT-PCR RNA detection from nasopharyngeal swabs from asymptomatic patients prior to essential and elective surgeries. This study included 1,997 asymptomatic patients undergoing surgical procedures and 1,797 admitted for medical management at a Midwestern academic hospital between April 7, 2020 and May 21, 2020. Results: As of May 21, asymptomatic testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection had been completed for 1,997 surgical patients and 1,797 non-surgical patients. Initial testing was positive in 26 patients, with an additional four positive tests occurring during repeat testing when greater than 48 hours had elapsed since initial testing. Overall asymptomatic infection rate was 0.79%. Asymptomatic infection rate was significantly lower in surgical patients (0.35% vs. 1.28%, p=0.001). Surgical patients tended to be older than non-surgical patients, although this was not statistically significant (51, IQR 27-65 vsx 46, IQR 28-64, p=0.057). Orthopedic surgery patients were significantly younger than those from other surgical services (42 vs. 53 yrs, p<0.001), however orthopedic and non-orthopedic surgical patients had similar asymptomatic infection rates (0.70% vs. 0.25%, p=0.173). Conclusion: Among asymptomatic patients tested at a Midwestern academic medical center, 0.79% were infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus. These findings will help guide screening protocols at medical centers while providing essential and elective procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the asymptomatic infection rate was low, this data substantiates the threat of asymptomatic infections and potential for community viral spread. These results may not be generalizable to large urban population centers or areas with high concentrations of COVID-19, each region must use available data to evaluate the risk-benefit ratio of universal testing vs universal contact precautions. Level of Evidence: IV.