Interactions between underrepresented students and STEM faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic

The success of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a topic of concern in higher education. Student-faculty interactions are widely recognized as a support for these students, but the adoption of emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic changed how these interactions took place. This study used a mixed methods design, analyzing data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to determine how student-faculty interaction frequencies changed nationally during ERT. Additional semi-structured interviews were held with underrepresented STEM students and STEM faculty members at a large research university to provide further context on these overall trends. Key findings from the NSSE data include a decrease in student-faculty interaction frequencies during ERT, while key differences among student populations by gender identity, race, and ethnicity remained. Students recounted frustrations over additional obstacles to talking with faculty during ERT, while recognizing the efforts that some instructors made to support them. Faculty members in turn recounted their difficulties with observing students' reactions to their instructional methods, while appreciating the opportunity to learn new instructional techniques and gain a greater understanding of their students' lives. These and other data collected from this research are examined through a conceptual framework using Tinto's (1975) student retention theory, Rendón's (1994) validation theory, and related constructs.