Expectations and outcomes: How technologies drive virtual teaching

Abstract

We evaluate the effectiveness of using Zoom for learning Modern Physics topics in a large engineering physics class at a land-grant university in Texas. This virtual technology challenged both students and professors. By implementing different approaches: providing ahead of the lectures reading assignments, PowerPoint presentations, and pre-recorded videos, during the class administering attendance mini-quizzes, and afterward, the assigning on WebAssign homework, elements of an effective class setting were introduced. Passion and mutual understanding united students and teachers to be stronger than the Covid-19 pandemic and to endure the challenging teaching environment. We describe some features of the technologies and the learning expectations. The evaluation of outcomes was done in two ways: quantitatively, by statistical measures, and qualitatively, through an anonymous student survey and a university-wide teacher evaluation.