The Impact of the Transition From In-Person to Remote Courses on MSW Students Due to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed social work educators to study its impact on social work students. This quantitative study presents the findings of a survey of Master of Social Work students regarding their experiences during the abrupt transition from in-person to remote learning in March 2020. Examining the impact through a change curve lens, the findings revealed that students moved through the change, going from shock and denial to acceptance of the new learning situation. The majority of students had both the technical skills and privacy they needed to learn. However, they did experience an increase in stress and struggled with maintaining concentration while attending remote classes, participating in class, and feeling a connection with students and faculty. They preferred synchronous content delivery and a combination of synchronous and asynchronous delivery. Contributing to an emerging body of literature on the effects of COVID-19 on social work students, the findings from this study suggest that social work students are interested in incorporating remote learning into their education, and social work programs may need to adapt the delivery of their academic content. The findings also indicate a need for comprehensive institutional support to improve remote teaching methods and engage students in learning.