Student Voices on the COVID-19 Crisis: An Australian Christian Higher Education Study

Abstract

The COVID-19 escalation of cases in Australia in March 2020 instigated a swift and comprehensive conversion of classroom instruction to online learning for all students and staff at Christian Heritage College (CHC), a private Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Brisbane. Technology integration exploded on “all fronts,” including online lectures, tutorials, student meetings, staff meetings, counseling services, devotions, and prayer meetings. This research examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the students of CHC and their reported sense of support in the areas of their faith, well-being, and academic progress. The study followed an exploratory research design that involved a mixed-methods approach and principles of “Appreciative Inquiry” (AI) during the process of data analysis. Data collection comprised an online survey (n = 124) and a qualitative interview subsample (n = 8) with the goal of painting a comprehensive picture of student experiences during the 2020 period of massive upheaval on campuses. The findings highlighted the importance of human connection in an online-dominated learning environment. Students rated meaningful communication with their peers and the CHC community members as being among the most critical factors for their sense of well-being. COVID-19 has provided HEIs with an opportunity to (re)examine their academic practices, student well-being support processes, and Christian faith imperatives to enable student flourishing into the future. By analyzing student learning experiences during the COVID-19 year retrospectively, this research adds to the understanding of institutional preparedness prospectively. Experiences and lessons conveyed in this article are useful for HEI policy and practice, thus serving the cause of Christian education in Australia and beyond.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• Australian case study
• mixed-methods research
• student well-being
• institutional preparedness

Ethics Statement

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) (National Statement (2007)), developed jointly by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Australian Research Council (ARC), and the Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee (AVCC) and published by the Australian Government (2007) https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/national-statement-ethical-conduct-human-research-2007-updated-2018. The study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of The Christian Research Association of Australia (CRA) on February 16th, 2021 (survey) and March 1st, 2021 (interviews).

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the student participants who completed the survey and interviews. Thank you for sharing with us your valuable perspectives and experiences. The authors also thank Karen du Plessis for her help and support with data analysis, and Jenny House for facilitating the use of the CHC Counseling Centre for the face-to-face student interviews.

Disclosure Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Data Availability Statement

The research data are not publicly available because participants were informed prior to the survey and interviews that their data would be stored securely and confidentially.

Notes

1 No respondents selected “Other/Prefer not to say.”

2 CHC’s core values are “seeking truth, centred on Christ, founded on God’s word and cultivating community” (Christian Heritage College, 2021).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Christian Heritage College, Brisbane, Australia.