Matthew Delaney 

Project Overview

As the Covid-19 pandemic has forced many sectors of the education system into the online world, it is important to research the potential problems and/or benefits that could arise as a result. The study intends to understand how this shift to online lectures has impacted student attention in comparison with student attention during in-person lectures.

Project Description

This study was designed to investigate how the sudden shift to online lectures has impacted student attention in comparison with student attention during in-person lectures.
The research carried out featured 111 participants aged between 18 and 39 years old. Participants were recruited from the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Dun Laoghaire.
51 participants (34 females, 16 males and one participant who preferred not to indicate their gender) used the in-person lecture questionnaire, while 62 participants (39 females, 22 males and one participant who preferred not to indicate their gender) completed the online lecture questionnaire.
The study employed a quantitative, between-groups, survey design. The Attention Control Scale (ATTC) was used to measure student attention.

Project Findings

Although the overall results were insignificant, the study still can offer findings that can contribute to the existing pool of research in the field of student learning. The study’s findings demonstrate to college administrators that the infrastructures in place, such as online learning platforms and online support systems, are helping college students in staying attentive during online lectures.
As well as this, the findings may exhibit that students have effectively managed the transition from in-person to online learning and now may be more accustomed to it. This finding may indicate that, if there was another sudden shift to online learning in the future, the impact on students’ attention may be less severe.
In terms of suggestions for future work in the area of student learning, future studies could possibly look at the attention differences that may be present throughout hybrid learning.