Student Experiences with Online Platforms, Fall 2020 Introduction The StayConnected2UCSC Survey #2 collected information about students' experiences with remote learning and their awareness of health services in Fall quarter 2020. This is the second of a series of brief surveys throughout the 2020‐2021 academic year, aiming to understand student needs and circumstances so the campus can better support student learning and plan services related to student health and wellness and other needs. This report covers the portion of the survey about student experiences with online platforms for remote learning and social interactions with their peers.1 This survey was sponsored by the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning (CITL), Online Education, Division of Student Affairs and Success, and Student Health Services. Institutional Research, Assessment, and Policy Studies (IRAPS) staff worked with these units to design the survey. IRAPS administered the online survey, analyzed the results, and prepared this report. Table of Contents Sections Page Executive Summary ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 Response Rates …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 Section 1. Online platforms to connect with peers ................................................... 3 Section 2. Helpfulness of online tools for connecting with other students .............. 5 Section 3. Negative impacts of online tools .............................................................. 7 Appendix: Survey Questions ..................................................................................... 8 1 If you have any questions about this report or the survey, please contact IRAPS [email protected] . 1 Executive Summary Online platforms to connect with peers • To connect with peers on homework or class projects: o Over half (59%) of undergraduates and about one‐quarter (23%) of graduate students used Discord. o About 1 in 3 undergraduates (35%) and 1 in 4 graduate students (27%) used Canvas. o One‐third of students used various social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat, Snapchat, TikTok. o One‐third of undergraduates and a quarter of graduate students used Piazza. • To connect socially with peers: o About half of both undergraduates (47%) and graduate students (53%) used social media to connect socially with their peers. o Discord was used by about half of undergraduates (47%) and one‐quarter (24%) of graduate students to connect socially with their peers. o Slack was used by about one‐third (31%) of graduate students to connect socially with their peers. Helpfulness of online tools for connecting with other students • For undergraduates: o The single most useful tool to connect with peers was Discord (37%). o Zoom was mentioned as the second most useful tool (20%) for class discussions, breakout rooms, TA sessions, chats, lectures. • For graduate students: o The most useful tools to connect with peers were Zoom for class discussions (30%) and Slack (23%). Negative impacts of online tools Very few undergraduates (6%) and graduate students (15%) indicated that online tools had negative impacts on their experience at UCSC. 2 Response Rates The StayConnected2UCSC Survey #2 opened on October 30, 2020, and closed on November 11, 2020. Students received an initial emailed invitation and two reminders. In addition, the survey was promoted on the Canvas LMS, campus social media, and messages through International Student and Scholar Services. As a result, 13% of undergraduate students and 16% of graduate students responded to the survey. Students who lived on campus in Fall 2020 were somewhat more likely to respond than off‐campus students (a difference of 3 percentage points). See Table 1. Table 1. Response rates by student program and residence Undergraduates Graduate Students On campus Off campus On campus Off campus Invited (N) 767 16753 162 1722 Responded (N) 126 2193 30 269 Response rate (%) 16% 13% 19% 16% Results Section 1. Online platforms to connect with peers Students were asked if they were using any online platforms or tools to connect with peers to work on homework or projects outside of class time (whether or not assigned by the instructor), and if they were using any online platforms or tools to connect socially with other students (informally, not assigned by the instructor). Students could choose multiple platforms. For homework or class projects, over half (59%) of undergraduates and about one‐quarter (23%) of graduate students used Discord. Canvas was used by about 3 in 10 undergraduates (35%) and graduate students (27%). Various social media platforms, in the aggregate, were also used by one‐third of students. In addition, one‐third of undergraduate students and a quarter of graduate students used Piazza. Some students also mentioned other tools, including texting, Zoom, and GroupMe. See Tables 2 and 3. Table 2. Online platforms used to connect on homework or class projects Undergraduates Grad Students Total N = 2153 N = 224 N = 2377 Do not use any 11% 15% 12% Discord 59% 23% 55% Canvas Discussions 35% 27% 34% Social Media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, 35% 29% 34% WhatsApp, WeChat, Snapchat, TikTok) Piazza 34% 26% 33% Slack 5% 47% 9% Google Hangouts/Chat 7% 12% 7% Reddit 7% 3% 7% Pronto 0% 0% 0% 3 Table 3. Other tools to connect on homework or class projects (write‐ins) Number of students Undergraduates Grad Students Total (N) (N) (N) Texting 43 5 48 Zoom 24 14 38 GroupMe 25 0 25 Emailing 13 2 15 iMessage/Apple Messages 14 0 14 LoopChat 12 0 12 Google Docs/Jamboard 3 5 8 Note: Other platforms (write‐ins) show those mentioned by more than 5 students. To connect socially with peers, about half of both undergraduates (47%) and graduate students (53%) used social media. Discord was also used by about half of undergraduates (47%) and one‐quarter (24%) of graduate students. Slack was used by about one‐third (31%) of graduate students. See Tables 4 and 5. Table 4. Online platforms used to connect with peers socially Undergraduates Grad Students Total N = 2153 N = 224 N = 2377 Do not use any 22% 22% 22% Social Media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, 47% 53% 47% WhatsApp, WeChat, Snapchat, TikTok) Discord 47% 24% 45% Reddit 9% 3% 9% Canvas Discussions 7% 5% 7% Piazza 6% 6% 6% Slack 2% 31% 5% Google Hangouts/Chat 3% 7% 3% Pronto 0% 0% 0% Table 5. Other tools to connect with peers socially (write‐ins) Number of students Undergraduates Grad Students Total (N) (N) (N) Texting 25 7 32 Zoom 12 9 21 GroupMe 12 0 12 iMessage/Apple Messages 7 1 8 LoopChat 7 0 7 Note: Other platforms (write‐ins) show those mentioned by more than 5 students. 4 Section 2. Helpfulness of online tools for connecting with other students About two‐thirds of undergraduates (64%) and graduate students (71%) indicated that these platforms and tools were essential, very helpful, or helpful for their learning experience. Over half indicated that these tools were essential, very helpful, or helpful for their social experience. See Table 6. Table 6. Helpfulness of online platforms or tools for students' learning experience and social experience Undergraduates Grad Students Total N = 1573‐1566 N = 166‐168 N = 1732‐1741 Learning Essential/Very helpful/Helpful 64% 71% 65% experience Essential 10% 11% 10% Very Helpful 20% 23% 20% Helpful 33% 38% 34% Somewhat helpful 29% 24% 29% Not at all 7% 5% 7% Social Essential/Very helpful/Helpful 57% 64% 58% experience Essential 14% 16% 14% Very Helpful 15% 16% 15% Helpful 28% 31% 28% Somewhat helpful 31% 27% 31% Not at all 12% 9% 12% Note: Results are shown for students used tools to connect with peers. Most useful tools to connect with others We asked students to name a single most useful tool for connecting with other UCSC students and coded their responses. The single most useful tool for undergraduates to connect with others was Discord (37%), followed by Zoom (20%) used for class discussions, breakout rooms, TA sessions, chats, and lectures. For graduate students, the most useful tool was Zoom used for class discussions (30%). Slack was the second most useful tool (23%). See Table 7 next page. 5 Table 7. Most useful online tools for connecting with other students, based on open-ended comments Undergraduates Graduate Students Total N = 1608 N = 166 N = 1774 Nothing has been helpful or not sure what has 9% 4% 9% been helpful Discord (servers, chats, groups) 37% 8% 35% Zoom for class discussions (including breakout 20% 30% 21% rooms, TA sessions, chats, lectures) Social Media (including Instagram, Twitter, 15% 16% 16% Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat, Snapchat, Tiktok) Canvas (messages, discussion) 5% 2% 5% Piazza 3% 7% 4% Emailing 2% 9% 3% Slack 0% 23% 3% Texting 1% 4% 2% Group chats and discussion boards 1% 1% 1% Classmates and friends 1% 1% 1% Internet (hotspot, laptop, iPhone) 1% 2% 1% Campus club or student organizations 1% 0% 1% GroupMe 1% 0% 1% Academic support services (ACE, MSI, office 1% 1% 1% hours) Google Hangouts, Calendar, Chats, Drive or 1% 1% 1% other products LoopChat 1% 0% 1% Group projects 1% 1% 1% Reddit 1% 0% 1% Phonecalls 0% 1% 1% AppleMessage/iMessage 0% 1% 0% Other items (online videos, welcome week, 2% 2% 2% doing research, planner, courier service, job) Note: 121 students mentioned two or more tools in their comments. 6 Section 3. Negative impacts of online tools We asked students the question, "Did any of these tools have a negative impact on your experience at UCSC during remote teaching?" Very few undergraduates (6%) and graduate students (15%) reporting a negative impact. See Table 8. Table 8. Proportion of students experiencing negative impacts from online tools Undergraduates Grad Students Total N = 2018 N = 213 N = 2231 6% 15% 7% Students who had negative experiences provided details about these experiences. These comments are available upon request. 7 Appendix: Survey Questions 6. Are you using any online platforms or tools to connect with your peers in your classes to work on homework or projects outside of class time? These tools may or may not be assigned by the instructor.