Can in-home laboratories foster learning, self-efficacy, and motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic? -- A case study in two engineering programs

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has represented a challenge for higher education in terms to provide quality education despite the lockdown periods, the transformation of the in-person classes to virtual classes, and the demotivation and anxiety that are experimented by the students. Because the basis of engineering is the experimentation through hands-on activities and learning by doing, the lockdown periods and the temporary suspension of the in-person classes and laboratories have meant a problem for educators that try to teach and motivate the students despite the situation. In this context, this study presents an educational methodology based on Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and in-home laboratories in engineering. The methodology was carried out in two phases during 2020, in the academic programs of Industrial Engineering and Technology in Electronics with (n=44) students. The in-home laboratories were sent to the students as part of "kits" with the devices needed in each subject. Besides, due to the difficulties in monitoring the learning process, the students made videos and blogs as a strategy to reinforce their learning and evidence the progress in the courses. The outcomes of the methodology show mainly the following points: (1) An improvement of the academic performance and learning of the students in the courses. (2) A positive influence of the usage of in-home laboratories in motivation, self-efficacy, and reduction of anxiety. (3) Positive correlations between the usage of in-home laboratories, the blogs and videos, and the teacher's feedback for learning, motivation, and self-efficacy. Thus, these results evidence that other alternatives that gather the cognitive and affective learning domains can emerge from engineering to deal with the educational problems produced by the crisis periods.