Learning to Learn - A Potential Educational Focus During and Post the COVID-19 Pandemic

Oct 15, 2026

The paper addresses how remote instruction during the COVID-19 epidemic affected General Chemistry for Engineers II and proposes a teaching strategy shift toward structured self-study. Pre-class lecture and videos were replaced with individual slide study, team problem solving, and online Q&A supported by surveys and interactive messaging. Midterm outcomes matched a prior class, and a student survey indicated acceptance along with improved self-studying skills and confidence. Further research is requested to validate learning efficacy and skill acquisition.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Preliminary Results

| | Ad | vances in Engineering Edu | cation | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FALL 2020 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4 Learning to Learn – A Potential Educational Focus During and Post the COVID-19 Pandemic XINFENG (KEVIN) QUAN Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute Sichuan University Chengdu, China ABSTRACT Challenges posed to the online classes during the COVID-19 epidemic, which prevented instant faceto-face communication and forced physical separation, were tentatively resolved by a teaching strategy shift to foster and improve student self-study skills. Class slides, teaching formats, as well as learning activities were redesigned and implemented accordingly. Midterm exam performance was comparable to that of a previous class. A class survey revealed students’ acceptance of the new teaching arrangement, with enhanced skills and confidence in self-studying perceived by the students. Further research is needed to examine the efficacy of such changes for students’ performance and skills acquisition. Key words: online teaching, self-study skills, lecture-free teaching INTRODUCTION The remote teaching scenario caused by the COVID-19 epidemic posed two main challenges for teaching General Chemistry for Engineers II to a cohort of 196 freshmen engineering students at Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute. One challenge was the absence of face-to-face communication. Without eye contact, facial expressions, and quick verbal quizzes, it was difficult to decide the optimal pace of online lectures. Although online tools can provide instant feedback, they can also create barriers which might discourage students from class participation. The other perceived challenge was the lack of engagement due to the physical separation. Attendance in lectures and free riding with class team works could not be monitored. While online tools and teaching methods can be explored to resolve such challenges, an alternative strategy is to teach students skills to learn by themselves. This alternative focus may require a systematic change including but not limited to course objectives, teaching/learning styles and activities, and assessments. FALL 2020 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4 1 ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Learning to Learn – A Potential Educational Focus During and Post the COVID-19 Pandemic Figure 1. Teaching strategies offline (left) and online (right) for General Chemistry for Engineers II. METHODS As Figure 1 summarizes, the course teaching strategy was modified such that pre-class videos and lecture were replaced by individual study and online Q&A. The class started from students studying PowerPoint slides on their own laptops/smartphones (i.e., individual self-study), solving a problem set in teams (i.e. , group self-study), and to attending a 40-minute online Q&A session (Via Blackboard see [https://www.blackboard.com/](https://www.blackboard.com/)) with the BigBlueButton function) where points of confusion and questions were gathered via an online survey (Via online teaching platform Ketangpai see [https://](https://)[ ](https://)[www.ketangpai.com](www.ketangpai.com)) during the two self-study sessions. During the survey, instructors (one professor and two undergraduate TAs) randomly messaged students via an instant message app (Via QQ see [https://www.imqq.com/English1033.html](https://www.imqq.com/English1033.html)) with questions to enhance learning activeness and check learning quality. The homework load and format were adjusted to allow for online submission. To facilitate self-study, the slides were reorganized in both format and content as a replacement for the lecture. Texts, audios, and videos were added to provide better understanding. Questions and hints were built in as check points to ensure study quality (Figure 2) . Content was more explicitly organized in the sequence of concepts/laws/problems, hypothesis/theories, validation experiments following the peda

FAQs

What main challenges does the paper identify for online teaching during COVID-19?

It identifies the lack of face-to-face communication and reduced engagement due to physical separation, making it harder to set lecture pace and monitor participation.

What teaching strategy changes were implemented to support self-study?

Pre-class videos and lectures were replaced by individual slide study, team-based problem set work, and an online Q&A session supported by surveys and interactive messaging.

How did students perform and respond under the new approach?

Midterm exam performance was comparable to the previous class, and student surveys showed acceptance plus perceived improvement in self-study skills and confidence, with high early attendance in Q&A.

Oct 15, 2026

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