Civil engineering students’ perceptions of emergency remote teaching: a case study in New Zealand

University A, as an institution, had developed strong educational resilience during and after the 2010-11 earthquakes. Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, New Zealand went into a nationwide lockdown on 25 March 2020. As a result, all university educational facilities were shut down, and teaching and learning had to be migrated online. Within this unique context, this research aims to (1) investigate civil engineering students’ perceptions about the benefits and challenges of online learning during the lockdown period, (2) identify significant factors that contribute to effective online teaching and learning, and (3) provide the implications of this research for future emergency remote teaching (ERT). A survey was designed and administered to measure students' perceptions of online learning during the lockdown. A total of 192 completed responses were collected from both undergraduate and Master civil engineering students. In addition to typical online learning challenges (e.g., administrative/instructor issues, social interactions, motivation, and technical problems), students also experienced unique challenges, such as social and emotional isolation, anxiety, depression, and uncertainty. Future research directions were recommended to better understand ERT by linking it to the Community of Inquiry framework and enhance tertiary education institutions’ resilience to handle a future crisis.