Staying motivated was the most pervasive challenge of learning remotely, and students missed instructor feedback, peer collaboration, and hands-on experiences¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2020 · checked against its sources 2026-10-15 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Seventy-nine percent of students cited staying motivated as a problem (42 percent major, 37 percent minor); other common challenges were finding a quiet place (55 percent), home/family responsibilities (54 percent), and not knowing where to get help (54 percent). → Means 2020 q3 i? Open-ended responses most often cited self-motivation, lost immediate instructor feedback and peer discussion, and lost hands-on experiences. → Means 2020 (2)

Evidence¶

Means 2020¶

Means, B., and Neisler, J., with Langer Research Associates. (2020). Suddenly Online: A National Survey of Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic. San Mateo, CA: Digital Promise. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/32aee7c4-5363-4d50-bc9c-a338e7dfac7e doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/98

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Structured-response items asked students to rate a set of specific problems with continuing their courses online. Feeling too unwell was cited by 45 percent and fitting the course around work by 31 percent.

"the most pervasive problem reported by students was staying motivated to do well in the course after it went online: 79 percent of students cited this as a problem (42 percent said it was a major problem, and another 37 percent said it was a minor problem)"

Means 2020 (2)¶

Means, B., and Neisler, J., with Langer Research Associates. (2020). Suddenly Online: A National Survey of Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic. San Mateo, CA: Digital Promise. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/32aee7c4-5363-4d50-bc9c-a338e7dfac7e. doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/98

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Thematic analysis of open-ended greatest-challenge responses found motivation, missed instructor and peer presence (immediate feedback, discussing content), and loss of authentic hands-on experiences such as labs as recurring themes.

"Many responses to this open-ended question focused on staying motivated when they did not have the structure of regular class routines and were subject to many kinds of distractions."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Opportunities for peer collaboration largely disappeared when STEM courses went remote, with few instructors sustaining collaborative activities online — related
• Staying motivated was the most prevalent non-technology challenge to completing STEM courses at a distance, reported as a major problem by 45% of students — related
• Hispanic and low-income students reported more challenges and technology problems after the shift online than non-Hispanic White and higher-income peers; rural students did not differ — related
• The number of challenges a student experienced was strongly associated with post-COVID course satisfaction: 81 percent satisfaction with no challenges versus 32 percent with four or more — related
• Personal instructor messages and reflective assignments showed the largest individual associations with online course satisfaction, and personal messages with fewer motivation problems — related
• Students in courses with guided note-taking and other active learning activities reported less difficulty with motivation and engagement after the shift online — related
• Students most often rated collaboration opportunities, content interest, and class belonging as worse online — related
• Maintaining motivation was the most prevalent non-technology challenge students faced learning at a distance — a broader claim this one bears on
• In case-study courses that shifted to remote instruction, few instructors offered collaborative learning activities, and some dropped ones used before — related
• Motivation, internet connectivity, and hardware/software problems were widespread challenges in remote STEM courses — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Students attributed online-course problems more to the unplanned move online (45%) than to inherent limitations of online learning (37%) — related
• Teachers valued interactive discussion-based training but identified unfamiliarity with online resources as a challenge when transitioning to distance learning. — related
• Student engagement in online courses is associated with satisfaction, motivation, reduced isolation, and improved performance — related
• Pedagogical challenges inherent in distance and online learning must be considered in instructional design and software development — a broader claim this one bears on
• After-school setting offered richer activity diversity, dialogue, and peer interaction than regular classrooms — related
• The number of research-recommended online instructional practices used predicted student satisfaction, rising from 43 percent net satisfaction with 0–2 practices to 74 percent with 6–8 — related
• In OUSD dual enrollment courses, students most often identify the point person as their main source of support, at higher rates than the instructor, peers, or family — related
• Maintaining student engagement is the greatest challenge reported by online charter school principals, identified nearly three times as often as any other challenge — related
• Online apprenticeship learning offers greater flexibility than in-person learning despite implementation challenges for hybrid or remote options — related