Learning Experiences Transition Survey

The Learning Experiences Transition Survey (LETS) collected feedback from undergraduate and graduate students to support the transition back to in-person learning following the period of remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were surveyed about different aspects of their university experiences including perceptions around the transition to remote instruction and the return to in-person learning.

Two surveys were conducted:

• February 24^th 2021 to March 10^th 2021 - All undergraduate students enrolled at SFU during the Fall 2020 term, Spring 2021 term, or both were invited to participate in the survey. A total of N = 6,151 undergraduate students were surveyed.
• May 7^th 2021 to May 20^th 2021 - All graduate students enrolled at SFU during the Fall 2020 term, Spring 2021 term, or both were invited to participated. A total of N = 1,202 graduate students were surveyed.

Some key findings of the surveys were:

For undergraduate students:

• 45% of students would prefer classes to be mostly or entirely in-person in the future. 80% want to continue to do a portion of their learning online.
• Of those students currently living outside of Canada, 50% would prefer their courses to be entirely on-line in the future, but of those currently living in the Lower Mainland only 15% prefer this option. 
• The majority of students continue to prefer a mix of synchronous and asynchronous activities, and note that access to lecture recordings provides flexibility and greatly supports their learning.
• Instructor video recordings, assignments, lecturing in real-time, and learning resources are regarded as the most helpful course components in a remote context. 

For graduate students:

• 50% of students would prefer classes to be mostly or entirely in-person. 76% want to continue to do a portion of their learning online.
• 28% of respondents currently living outside of Canada prefer their courses be entirely in-person. 
• 40% of graduate students (33% Domestic and 54% International status) anticipate delays to their planned time to completion as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Graduate students reported many concerns about the onset or worsening of mental health conditions as a result of isolation and added financial pressures during the pandemic.

For more details and additional findings from the surveys, please refer to the reports below.