Evaluating the impact of working in an online environment

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Richardson, K., Ambroise, S., Dr. Heather Bastian,, & Heather Dinkins,. (2021). Evaluating the impact of working in an online environment. Unc Charlotte Undergraduate Research Conference.
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Description

Research has found that peer mentorship can play a valuable role in a student’s personal growth and development. At UNC Charlotte, the Communication Across the Curriculum program trains communication consultants to serve as peer mentors and provide one-on-one support to students within select classes. Unlike past semesters, consultants primarily worked remotely throughout Fall 2020 due to a global pandemic. This applied research project investigates the impact of working in an online environment on the communication consultant experience. In Fall 2019 and Fall 2020, consultants completed an online survey consisting of Likert scale and open-ended questions that asked them to reflect on their confidence levels in general and in different aspects of their role. In Fall 2020, consultants also were asked to report on different barriers they faced related to the online environment. Consultant survey results from Fall 2019 and Fall 2020 were compared to analyze how communication consultant confidence changed between the 2019 and 2020 school years. Additionally, open-ended questions on the surveys were coded to identify different factors that impacted confidence levels. Findings suggest that while confidence levels in particular areas were negatively impacted from the lack of in-person communication, confidence levels overall remained high and confidence with online communication greatly increased.

Details
Title

Evaluating the impact of working in an online environment

Author(s)

Richardson, Kara
Ambroise, Sharmily

UNC Charlotte Affiliate Type

Undergraduate

Place of Publication

Charlotte, NC

Extent

1 online resource

Date Published

2021

Date Created

2021

Material Type

Conference proceedings

Genre

conference proceedings

Resource Type

text

Abstract

Research has found that peer mentorship can play a valuable role in a student’s personal growth and development. At UNC Charlotte, the Communication Across the Curriculum program trains communication consultants to serve as peer mentors and provide one-on-one support to students within select classes. Unlike past semesters, consultants primarily worked remotely throughout Fall 2020 due to a global pandemic. This applied research project investigates the impact of working in an online environment on the communication consultant experience. In Fall 2019 and Fall 2020, consultants completed an online survey consisting of Likert scale and open-ended questions that asked them to reflect on their confidence levels in general and in different aspects of their role. In Fall 2020, consultants also were asked to report on different barriers they faced related to the online environment. Consultant survey results from Fall 2019 and Fall 2020 were compared to analyze how communication consultant confidence changed between the 2019 and 2020 school years. Additionally, open-ended questions on the surveys were coded to identify different factors that impacted confidence levels. Findings suggest that while confidence levels in particular areas were negatively impacted from the lack of in-person communication, confidence levels overall remained high and confidence with online communication greatly increased.

Subjects--Topics

Education
Communication

Is Part Of

UNC Charlotte undergraduate research conference

Language

English

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/work:135

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