The impact of virtual or blended learning on sense of belonging in first-year undergraduate health sciences students enrolled in an inquiry-based course

Literature suggests post-secondary students felt disengaged and socially isolated while learning virtually, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we explored whether a sense of belonging is differentially achieved in an inquiry-based course between two different delivery formats: virtual and blended (combination of virtual and in-person). Our primary measurement instrument was a modified version of the 26-item Sense of Belonging-Revised Scale, which we distributed to all first-year health sciences students enrolled in an Inquiry course at [institution name removed for blinding purposes] University during the 2021-2022 school year. Data analyses revealed no statistically significant difference between the two groups across the four subscales of the Sense of Belonging-Revised Scale: perceived peer support, perceived classroom comfort, perceived isolation, and perceived faculty support. As promoting community is a core skill in our Inquiry course, this may have reduced the perceived difference between the two groups. Future directions include exploring facilitators’ perceptions and experiences across course delivery formats.

The impact of virtual or blended learning on sense of belonging in first-year undergraduate health sciences students enrolled in an inquiry-based course Journal Articles