This year at SAMIBC2021 we are pleased to announce another of our presenters, Uday Tate from the Marshall University. Dr. Tate will be presenting, COVID-19 and Its Impact on Student Learning Moderated by Kolb’s Learning Styles.

Presentation Abstract: The world has and will continue to face a flurry of natural (e.g., volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc.), technological (e.g., automobiles, computer technology, the Internet, etc.), war-driven turmoil (e.g., terrorist attacks, WWI, WWII, etc.), and socio-political (e.g., dismantling of Soviet Union, Venezuela crisis, etc.). The direct and indirect, short- and long-term impact of such global events has been local, regional, and global in its geographic boundaries. Importantly, the impact has been multi-faceted-economy, technology, culture, lifestyles, politics, medicine, education, to name a few. The current disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic (Corona virus), is no exception. In the short time span of nine months (since January 2020), this pandemic has proven to be extremely disruptive, leading to interactive and cumulative changes in such fields as public health, medicine, socio-politico-economic conditions, family and community relations, supply chain, education, to name a few (www.wikipedia.com, 2020). In the present paper, the focus is on the impact of COVID-19 on student learning at the institutions of higher education in the United States.
As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues its destructive journey, it is imperative that academicians and researchers carefully study its impact on the education systems and learning of school children and college students (Aucejo, et al. 2020). Such timely and focused research studies can lead to both short- and long-term solutions to overcome the pandemic’s negative impact on education.
One of the areas to investigate is the impact of the COVID-19 on learning of college students. At many universities, the transition from many face-to-face classes was mandated in a very short period of time; this change in the course delivery was part of the strategies to observe social distancing, thus reducing the spread of the pandemic. Several universities are offering 100% online courses or a hybrid delivery, with limited class size, while maintaining the required social distancing in classrooms, as one of the strategies to minimize the COVID-19’s negative impact on education. It is critical that academicians examine the impact of such course deliveries on the learning outcomes (Darling-Hammond 2020). In this regard, it would be interesting to examine the impact of the COVID-19 on student learning outcomes, moderated by student learning styles. Specifically, the moderating variables can be the learning styles theorized by David Kolb (1984; 2005): concrete experience style; reflective observation style; abstract conceptualization style; and active experimentation style. The fundamental research question will be: which of these styles will minimize the negative impact of COVID-19 on student learning outcomes? In addition to the moderating variable of learning styles of students, demographics (age, gender, etc.) and academic factors (student’s year of study, declared major, type of course delivery, etc.) can be used to isolate the relationship between COVID-19 and learning outcomes.
The recommended study, if conducted, can provide guidelines for academicians in their effort to modify course curricula, to develop individual courses, and to streamline advice to students in their effort to learn under the conditions of COVID-19. Future research on the proposed topics will also provide academicians useful insights into adjustments by students in their learning styles under the conditions of COVID-19. Such research efforts will help academicians adjust course delivery strategies (e.g., virtual, hybrid format, online, etc.), keeping mind different learning styles under the pandemic of COVID-19.

Join us online to see this great paper and many more March 18 – 20, 2021. For registration information visit www.samnational.org/conference.