Courses with enrollment of over 100 students pose particular accessibility and engagement challenges, especially for students struggling with health issues or work, family, and/or extracurricular obligations. When classes returned to campus after the pandemic, we adopted flexible pedagogical techniques in a Sociology of Sport class to alleviate some of these challenges. We retained online assignments, removed attendance requirements, and instituted extended deadlines along with other flexible arrangements. We present results from an analysis of 339 student exit surveys from three semesters with questions about accessibility and engagement. Some 68 percent of students report at least one difficulty attending classes, suggesting the need for accessibility options. Additionally, self-reported engagement in the course was high, and students exhibited an increased interest in sociology. Although the techniques are not appropriate for all courses, our findings underscore the importance of addressing challenges that hinder accessibility and engagement for many college students.
BaeplerPaulWalkerJ. D.DriessenMichelle. 2014. “It’s Not about Seat Time: Blending, Flipping, and Efficiency in Active Learning Classrooms.” Computers & Education78:227–36. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2014.06.006.
2.
BarkleyElizabeth F.MajorClaire H.2020. Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
3.
BartholomayDaniel J.2022. “A Time to Adapt, Not ‘Return to Normal’: Lessons in Compassion and Accessibility from Teaching During COVID-19.” Teaching Sociology50(1):62–72. doi:10.1177/0092055X211053376.
4.
DyerThomasArozJacobLarsonElizabeth. 2018. “Proximity in the Online Classroom: Engagement, Relationships, and Personalization.” Journal of Instructional Research7(1):108–18. doi:10.9743/JIR.2018.10.
5.
El MansourBassouMupingaDavison M.2007. “Students’ Positive and Negative Experiences in Hybrid and Online Classes.” College Student Journal41(1):242–48.
6.
FriedmanPaulRodriguezFredMcCombJoe. 2001. “Why Students Do and Do Not Attend Classes: Myths and Realities.” College Teaching49(4):124–33. doi:10.1080/87567555.2001.10844593.
GillisAlannaKrullLaura M.2020. “COVID-19 Remote Learning Transition in Spring 2020: Class Structures, Student Perceptions, and Inequality in College Courses.” Teaching Sociology48(4):283–99. doi:10.1177/0092055X20954263.
LunaYvonne M.WintersStephanie A.2017. “‘Why Did You Blend My Learning?’ A Comparison of Student Success in Lecture and Blended Learning Introduction to Sociology Courses.” Teaching Sociology45(2):116–30. doi:10.1177/0092055X16685373.
MirelesAmanda. 2023. “Blended Pedagogy in Social Statistics Courses: Prelecture Strategies for Encouraging Learning among First-Generation College Students.” Teaching Sociology51(3):231–44. doi:10.1177/0092055X231170749.
19.
Diana G.OblingerOblingerJames L., eds. 2005. Educating the Net Generation. Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE.
TintoVincent. 2022. “Exploring the Character of Student Persistence in Higher Education: The Impact of Perception, Motivation, and Engagement.” Pp. 357–79 in Handbook of Research on Student Engagement, edited by ReschlyA. L.ChristensonS. L.Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-07853-8_17.
23.
VaughanNorm. 2007. “Perspectives on Blended Learning in Higher Education.” International Journal on E-Learning6(1):81–94.
24.
WahaBarbaraDavisKate. 2014. “University Students’ Perspective on Blended Learning.” Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management36(2):172–82. doi:10.1080/1360080X.2014.884677.
