Journal of Engineering Education Transformations

Abstract

The cumulative impact of COVID 19 has been immense on all the sectors globally. One of the worst hit sectors was the education sector. Educational institutions were shut and students from disadvantaged backgrounds were the most vulnerable, as schools and higher education institutions replaced face-to-face instructions with virtual learning. Students were learning in isolation with little or no social interaction. It was taking its toll on the mental well-being of school children and young adults. This exploratory study aims at exploring the impact of the pandemic on the first year engineering students’ attitude towards academics and their overall mental health and well-being. This study is an attempt to understand how the students feel about their social life, their academics and their attitude post pandemic. Research was conducted in a Tier II engineering college in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied in eliciting and analyzing the data. Questionnaires on the impact of the pandemic on their academics, and the impact on their behaviour, attitude, social skills and their learning processes were administered. Informal interactions and discussions strengthened the understanding of the problems faced by the students. The highlight of this study is, contrary to popular belief, the pandemic doesn’t appear to have affected the social skills of the young adults and has not affected the well-being of the students.

Keywords—Academics; attitude; education; mental health; pandemic; remote learning; well-being.