UMD Launches Survey on Students’ Remote Learning
Results to Inform Priorities to Better Support Students During Online Learning
Photo by John T. Consoli
Students walk to and from class on McKeldin Mall in early March, before the university moved to an online learning environment. Results from a new survey will help UMD establish priorities to better support student learning and well-being.
Mary Ann Rankin, senior vice president and provost, sent the following email to all students yesterday:
Dear University of Maryland student,
We hope you are safe and well. We know there were a number of unexpected campus changes this semester, and we want to hear about your experience learning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey will take about 15 minutes to complete. We know that you may have received surveys from your college, extracurricular clubs or other entities, and may be experiencing some "survey fatigue," but we ask for your help and patience in this extremely important effort. In addition to your regular course evaluations, which begin later this week for most courses, please take the time to fill out this survey. We need to learn all we can from you as a remote learner at Maryland. Our goal is to improve students' learning experience in the future should we continue full or partial online education this fall. This survey contains five sections regarding your:
- Overall well-being and connection
- Access to technology outside of the University of Maryland campus
- Experiences with remote instruction
- Familiarity with and use of the ELMS-Canvas platform
- Demographic information
We will take your feedback very seriously. Your responses will help us establish priorities to better support student learning and your well-being moving forward. We have used results from previous surveys to inform university practice. For example, based on the results from the March 2020 Technological Readiness survey, we:
- Created a wireless hotspot loan program
- Created a laptop loan program
- Built virtual desktop infrastructures to provide access to specialized software
- Deployed new enterprise-wide academic technologies to support your learning (e.g., Zoom and Honorlock)
Your participation in the survey will be deeply appreciated and will assist us in providing necessary resources as we continue to prepare for the summer and fall. Your responses will be confidential unless you choose to disclose your name within the survey. There are no known risks associated with your participation. The survey will only be available through May 15, 2020.
By clicking on this link and participating in the survey, you are providing your consent.
Thank you very much for your time and input! I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Rankin
Senior Vice President and Provost
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