  This study investigates how remote learning due to the COVID pandemic impacts
students' ability to keep up with the pace of instruction in a university level
physics course, with a focus on the heterogeneous impact of remote learning on
different demographic groups. Student learning data is collected from 70 online
learning modules assigned as both online homework and self-study material in
both Fall 2020 and Spring 2020 semesters, with the first 41 modules being
assigned before campus closure in Spring 2020. Students' ability to stay on
track is measured by three data indicators: percentage of modules submitted
before the due date, percentage of modules submitted early for extra credit,
and percentage of modules properly engaged with. The student population is
divided into two demographic groups according to each of the four demographic
variables: Gender, Ethnicity, Transfer Status and First generation status. All
three data indicators from both semesters are first compared between each pair
of demographic groups within the same semester, and then compared within the
same group between the two semesters. Exam and course scores are also compared
between demographics groups in Fall 2020 and against scores from the Fall 2019
semester. The analysis revealed that remote learning significantly reduced
on-time and early submission for first-generation students, but increased the
frequency of early submission for transfer students. Under-represented minority
students had higher percentage of engaged modules during the pandemic, while
non-URM students had the same level of module engagement before and after the
pandemic. These results suggest that pandemic remote learning had very
different impact for students with different demographic background, and future
instructional design should strive to provide more flexible options to meet the
various needs for a diverse higher-ed student population.
