Physics education in pandemic times: Remote instruction and academic performance

We investigate the effect of remote teaching adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic on the academic performance of students in two physics courses, one for undergraduates and the other for graduates. This performance was assessed through a conceptual test on Thermodynamics, a topic addressed in both courses. The test was applied to in-person classes before the Covid-19 pandemic and to remote classes during the pandemic. Comparison of results did not reveal statistically significant differences between the student’s scores in the two periods. Precautions taken to ensure the validity of this analysis are presented and the scope of our conclusions is discussed.

Keywords
remote teaching; higher education; physics education; academic performance; Covid-19