Using a Novel Research Methodology to Study and Respond to Faculty and Student Experiences with COVID-19 in Real Time

Oct 15, 2026

Paper describes the use of a novel SenseMaker® research platform to collect and analyze real-time data from participants’ qualitative accounts of COVID-19 alongside online learning experiences and participants’ quantitative self-assessments. Participants were College of Engineering faculty, students, and staff at the University of Georgia during Spring 2020. Two data-collection waves supported real-time recommendations for addressing COVID-19 challenges and informed faculty development programming for transitions to online learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Data Collection and Analysis

| | Ad | vances in Engineering Edu | cation | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FALL 2020 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4 Using a Novel Research Methodology to Study and Respond to Faculty and Student Experiences with COVID-19 in Real Time JOHN R. MORELOCK NICOLA W. SOCHACKARACHEIDA S. LEWIS JOACHIM WALTHER CHRISTIAN M. CULLOTY JACOB S. HOPKINS SHWETA VEDANARAYANANCHUKWUEMEKA K. OFUNNE University of Georgia Athens, GA ABSTRACT This paper describes the use of a novel research platform called SenseMaker® to collect and analyze real-time data in the form of participants’ qualitative accounts of COVID-19 along with online learning experiences and participants’ own quantitative assessments of those experiences. Participants were faculty, students, and staff in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia during Spring 2020. Results from two waves of data collection informed real-time recommendations to College faculty and administration to address COVID-19-related challenges. Results also facilitated faculty development programming to build instructor communities of learning and support in response to the University’s transition to online learning. Key words: Organizational change, Mixed methods research, Distance learning, COVID-19 INTRODUCTION The COVID-19 pandemic and the higher education sector’s subsequent shift from in-person to online learning took faculty, staff, and students alike by storm. While prior research has explored online learning environments and established best practices (e.g., Alexander 2017, Bailey and Card 2009, Keengwe and Kidd 2010), COVID-19 introduced variables absent from most traditional online learning settings, including a rapid, involuntary, wholesale, and yet likely temporary transition away from in-person teaching; challenges associated with working from home (e.g., childcare and internet access); lack of access to FALL 2020 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4 1 ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Using a Novel Research Methodology to Study and Respond to Faculty and Student Experiences with COVID-19 in Real Time on-campus utilities; and the backdrop of a global health crisis with the potential for significant impactson faculty and students. The combination of these variables presented both a long-term research opportunity and a short-term practical challenge, namely: to investigate dramatically different approaches to teaching and learning that might inform novel approaches to higher education post COVID-19, and to better understand faculty, student, and staff experiences to inform immediate, local actions. To these ends, this paper describes the use of a novel research platform called SenseMaker® (Cognitive Edge 2020), which we used to collect and analyze real-time data from College of Engineering (CENGR) faculty, staff, and students. These data took the form of participants’ qualitative accounts of COVID-19-related and online learning experiences as well as participants’ own quantitative assessments of those experiences. METHODS This study was conducted by four faculty members and four undergraduate students in the Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI) at the University of Georgia. Our implementation involved three major components: (1) data collection and analysis via SenseMaker (all faculty, staff, and students in CENGR were sent an email containing a link to the survey); (2) communityoriented faculty development programming; and (3) release of public reports on major findings and recommendations. Figure 1 summarizes how these components fit together over time. Figure 1. Summary of implementation over time. 2 FALL 2020 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 4 ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Using a Novel Research Methodology to Study and Respond to Faculty and Student Experiences with COVID-19 in Real Time Data Collection and Analysis Research via SenseMaker involves mixed methods data collection and analysis in four steps, illustra

FAQs

What research platform was used to study COVID-19 and online learning experiences in real time?

The study used SenseMaker® to collect and analyze real-time data from participants’ qualitative accounts and quantitative assessments.

Who participated in the study and when was it conducted?

Participants were faculty, students, and staff in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia during Spring 2020.

How were participants’ qualitative accounts and quantitative responses collected and analyzed?

Participants first wrote short stories about COVID-19 or the transition to online learning, then answered quantitative questions using triads and dyads; SenseMaker generated visualizations and underlying raw data for cross-participant pattern identification.

Oct 15, 2026

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