Assocation Between In-person Instruction and COVID-19 Risk

Infection Clinical Trial

— Campus&Corona  

Official title:

Relationship Between In-person Instruction and COVID-19 Incidence Among University Students: A Prospective Cohort Study

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04529421
• Other study ID #: 172155
• Status: Completed
• Start date: September 4, 2020
• Est. completion date: August 31, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: November 2023
• Source: Oslo Metropolitan University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

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.

Description:

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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 26754
• Est. completion date: August 31, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: December 31, 2020
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Student in first, second, or third year at university or university college

• Agrees to participate (signed consent form)

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Communicable Diseases
• COVID-19
• Infection
• Infection Control
• Infections

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Online instruction
For some courses and groups of students, instruction is primarily offered digitally, so that the students can participate from outside campus.
• In-person instruction
For some courses and groups of students, instruction is primarily offered in-person, on campus (or elsewhere).

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Norway	Oslo Metropolitan University	Oslo

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Oslo Metropolitan University	Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Norway, 

References & Publications (1)

Fretheim A, Helleve A, Loyland B, Sandbekken IH, Flato M, Telle K, Watle SV, Schjoll A, Helseth S, Jamtvedt G, Hart RK. Relationship between teaching modality and COVID-19, well-being, and teaching satisfaction (campus & corona): A cohort study among stud — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	COVID-19 incidence	Self-reported positive test results	Through study completion, i.e. 4 months.
Secondary	Quality of life	Self-reported ("Overall, how satisfied are you with life right now?")	Through study completion, i.e. 4 months.
Secondary	Satisfaction with teaching	Self-reported ("Overall, how satisfied have you been with the teaching you have received in the past 14 days?")	Through study completion, i.e. 4 months.
Secondary	COVID-19 testing incidence	Self-reported	Through study completion, i.e. 4 months.
Secondary	Learning outcome	Exam results from Common Student System	End of term, December 2020.

External Links

•   Pre-print version of study report manuscript.