Working Paper: NBER ID: w28022
Authors: George Orlov; Douglas McKee; James Berry; Austin Boyle; Thomas DiCiccio; Tyler Ransom; Alex Rees-Jones; Jrg Stoye
Abstract: We use standardized end-of-course knowledge assessments to examine student learning during the disruptions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Examining seven economics courses taught at four US R1 institutions, we find that students performed substantially worse, on average, in Spring 2020 when compared to Spring or Fall 2019. We find no evidence that the effect was driven by specific demographic groups. However, our results suggest that teaching methods that encourage active engagement, such as the use of small group activities and projects, played an important role in mitigating this negative effect. Our results point to methods for more effective online teaching as the pandemic continues.
Keywords: COVID-19; student learning; active engagement; remote instruction; economics education
JEL Codes: A22; I21
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Pandemic semester (A22) | overall student scores (I24) |
| Pandemic semester (A22) | remote subscores (C29) |
| Instructor characteristics (prior online teaching experience) (A22) | overall student scores (I24) |
| Instructor characteristics (prior online teaching experience) (A22) | remote material scores (C59) |
| Structured peer interactions (C92) | remote material scores (C59) |
| Pandemic semester (A22) | course-specific declines in scores (D29) |
| Demographic characteristics (J21) | performance during pandemic (D29) |
| Polling students during class (C99) | learning outcomes (A21) |