The Impact of COVID-19 on the CS Student Learning Experience: How the Pandemic has Shaped the Educational Landscape

Students have experienced incredible shifts in their learning environments, brought about by the response of universities to the ever-changing public health mandates driven by waves and stages of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Initially, these shifts in learning (mode of course delivery, course availability, etc.) were considered emergency responses. However, as the pandemic pressed on, students have had to repeatedly adapt to the continuously evolving educational landscape. This working group builds upon foundations and structure created by a 2021 ITiCSE Working Group exploring the effects of COVID-19 on teaching and learning from a faculty perspective. That working group identified the incorporation of some pandemic-induced changes into future teaching practices. This working group examines the existing literature and insights gained from responses to a multi-national survey to explore the new student experience emerging from the continuously evolving teaching practices catalyzed by the global pandemic. Traditionally, computing is a subject full of experiential learning opportunities, rich with in-person labs and exercises. We investigate how the changes within the COVID-affected academic landscape have altered that student experience. The current group of computing students will have had experiences under both typical (i.e. pre-pandemic) and COVID-affected teaching practices. It is, therefore, timely that we understand how each has impacted how they perceive their learning environment and educational experience. In turn, identifying those practices that have most benefited the student learning experience will help computing faculty improve their educational methods going forward.