The impact of course format on student perceptions of the classroom learning environment and teamwork

Traditionally, education has been largely delivered in an in-person format; however, an increasing number of courses are being delivered entirely online or with a blend of online and in-person components. These formats differ along various dimensions, such as the quantity and quality of interpersonal interactions and connections, which will likely lead to different student experiences. Using a sample of 200 undergraduate student responses from an online survey, we compared five different course formats (in-person, synchronous online, asynchronous online, blended with alternating weeks and blended exam only) on students’ perceptions of various elements of their learning environment, including teaching presence, cognitive presence, social presence, sense of community and teamwork. A between groups ANOVA demonstrated significant differences for seven of the eight variables examined. In each case, the in-person format was rated the most positively and the blended exam only format tended to receive the poorest ratings. Overall, our results suggest that live interaction among students, and between students and instructors, whether it is from an in-person format or a blended alternating format, appears to be linked to more positive perceptions of the social learning environment.