On Grade Option Choice and Grade Performance Expectation When Instruction Goes Virtual – The Role of Peers at a Distance

Arnab K. Basu (), Nancy H. Chau () and Yudi Wang ()
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Arnab K. Basu: Cornell University
Nancy H. Chau: Cornell University
Yudi Wang: Cornell University

No 17599, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Campus closures due to COVID19 created uneven student-level exposures to the challenges of home-based virtual learning. Using university administrative data, and exogenous class-level differences in pre-pandemic on-campus housing assignments for parallel trend validation, this paper unpacks student-by-course variations in grade expectations using within-semester switches in grade option choice as a lens. We find causal evidence that distance from campus and internet access affected grade option choices in select student groups (female, non-URM, non-STEM). By tracking access to friends at the student-course level using administrative records, we find that within-class peer support can offset learning challenges even in virtual environments.

Keywords: satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade option; COVID-19; distance education; learning outcomes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I20 I29 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 65 pages
Date: 2025-01
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