Abstract
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought dramatic changes in the field of engineering education. Contrary to the traditional engineering education emphasis on content-oriented, design-based, hands-on, experimental, and field experience, most of engineering classes in 2020 had to be undertaken remotely online. However, it has not been explored how professors and students perceive about such a shift in engineering education. The aim of the current study was to investigate the perceptions of professors and students on online classes in engineering colleges during spring Semester 2020. Questionnaire data were collected from 100 professors and 4,152 students in the college of engineering. The results of this study were as following: Students were less satisfied with the online classes than professors. The online lecture method that students were most satisfied with was the recorded lecture. This is likely due to the fact that the recorded lectures can be repeated multiple times anytime, anywhere. Moreover, the experimental classes, which conventionally has more of an emphasis on the hands-on experience, also had to be conducted remotely, showing even lower satisfaction among students. Most of professors reported that the average hours they spent on preparing for online lecture increased compared to face-to-face class. Both professors and students preferred in-person exam as a desirable method of end-of-semester assessment for grading. The results of the current study have important implications for the improvement of online course environments. It is important for professors to design a structured class suitable for online education and understand the challenges students encounter during online classes. Also, professors should communicate more openly about their expectations and rubrics for class goals and assignments. Schools also needs to make effort to provide the support for the internet environment of students.