The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020 upended college life at campuses around the world. Virtual learning, online exams and Zoom sessions replaced face-to-face interaction for well over a year in a number of places, including at Cal State Fullerton. For many students and faculty, it was their first experience studying or teaching in a virtual environment.

To better understand the impact of this unique period in the lives of today’s students, Cal State Fullerton Economics Professor Denise Stanley and Information Systems Professor Sinjini Mitra joined forces to survey CSUF business students and then assess the responses.

The research resulted in a study, “Pandemic Studies: Remote Learning During COVID,” which was published in the April issue of Significance Magazine, a popular data statistics publication.

Not unexpectedly, most students felt that entirely virtual education wasn’t of the same caliber as in-person schooling, with only 4% reporting parity. But some surprising findings came from the research:

“Much attention has been given to the digital divide and how technology access affected remote learning during the pandemic,” Stanley says. “We find another factor — the study space environment for the student — to be significant in shaping student preferences around whether they would like to continue with online courses in the future.”

First generation students particularly grappled with study space concerns. Mental health challenges were also a major headwind.

Read more about the study and implications in the Orange County Register.