Online learning of physics during a pandemic: A report from an academic experience in Italy

The need for online learning, as a consequence of the social distancing imposed by Sars-Cov II, has opened a new window on teaching physics in academia. Frontal lectures have left space for online teaching, teachers have been facing with a new way of spreading knowledge, adapting contents and modalities of their courses. Students have coped with a new way of learning physics, which relies on free access to materials and their informatics knowledge. We investigated on how online didactics has influenced lecturers’ teaching of physics and students’ assessments, motivation, and satisfaction in learning physics during the pandemic in 2020. The research involved bachelor and master students attending the degree course in Physics and lecturers of the Physics Department at the University of Cagliari. The Multivariate ANalysis Of VAriance (MANOVA) supported significant mean differences concerning gender and university level with higher values for girls and master students in almost all variables investigated. Correlations showed that student-student, student-teacher interaction, and the organization of the courses are significantly related to satisfaction and motivation in learning physics. The results of this study can be used to improve the standards of teaching in Physics at the University of Cagliari.