Whether university teaching on campus with infection control measures in place is associated with higher risk of COVID-19 than online instruction, is unknown. The investigators will assess this by conducting repeated surveys among students at universities and university colleges in Norway, where some instruction is given in-person, and some is provided online (hybrid model). The investigators will ask about the students' COVID-19 status, and how much in-person and online instruction the students are getting. The investigators will estimate the association between in-person instruction and COVID-19-risk using multivariate regression, controlling for likely confounders. The investigators will also assess whether type of instruction is associated with how satisfied the students are with the instruction the students are offered, their quality of life, and learning outcomes.
The investigators are inviting all universities and university colleges in Norway to take
part. All students at institutions that agree to participate will receive an SMS
(alternatively an e-mail) inviting them to take part in the study. The invitation includes a
link that directs participants to a web-based informed consent-form and questionnaire. The
investigators will use the University of Oslo's solutions for online consent form, web-based
survey (Nettskjema), and secure storage of research data (TSD).
The investigators will ask the participants if the participants have been tested for
COVID-19, the results of such a test, how much in-person instruction the students have been
offered, and how much online instruction the students have been offered. The investigators
will also inquire about other risk factors for COVID-19 and background variables that may be
included as potential adjustment factors (confounders) in the analyses (see Attachment 1 -
Questionnaire).
The investigators will survey the students every two weeks by new invitations by SMS or
e-mail. The study period will last as long as the universities maintain their arrangement
with in-person instruction for only select groups of students. The investigators plan for a
study period that lasts for the remainder of 2020. The investigators will ask for the
participants consent to link the survey results to information on study programme, basis for
admission, study status, academic results, sex and age from the Common Student System.
The investigators will run multivariate regressions to test whether there is an association
between in-person instruction and the outcomes.
In-person instruction is a continuous variable, defined as
(Number of days offered in-person instruction) / (Number of days offered in-person
instruction + Number of days offered online instruction)
The investigators will control for potentially confounding variables, including year of study
program, field of study, age, and gender. The investigators plan for separate analyses for
each participating university/university college, and a pooled analysis across institutions.
Behavioral: Online instruction
For some courses and groups of students, instruction is primarily offered digitally, so that the students can participate from outside campus.
Behavioral: In-person instruction
For some courses and groups of students, instruction is primarily offered in-person, on campus (or elsewhere).
Inclusion Criteria:
- Student in first, second, or third year at university or university college
- Agrees to participate (signed consent form)
Exclusion Criteria:
-
Oslo Metropolitan University
Oslo, Norway
Atle Fretheim, PhD, Principal Investigator
Oslo Metropolitan University