Impact Of Covid-19 On Access To Laboratories And Human Participants: Exercise Science Faculty Perspectives

Exercise Science faculty rely on access to labs and close physical interactions with human participants to effectively teach and conduct experiential research. Restrictions due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic impacted the ability of faculty and students in higher education to work in lab settings. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine how exercise science faculty were impacted by COVID-19 restrictions with respect to access to and use of lab and research facilities. METHODS: Through an electronic survey, participants (N = 112) from higher education institutions in 31 states and three Canadian provinces provided feedback on their perceptions of lab and research experiences during fall 2020. RESULTS: Of 112 participants electronically surveyed, 64 faculty indicated they taught or supervised labs and 42 had access to students and lab spaces. Of the 42 with access, 20 remained face-to-face in lab spaces and 22 were hybrid. Of the total participants, 47.3% (n = 53) indicated they could conduct in person research with data collection restrictions imposed by their institutions and 4.5% (n = 5) could perform in person data collection with no restrictions. Among faculty with five or less years of teaching experience (n = 29), 58.6% (n = 17) reported a decrease in productivity; with 70.6% (n = 12) of those being female. Regardless of level of access to lab spaces and human participants for teaching and research, all exercise science faculty reported issues with safety and social distancing, modified lab and research procedures, instructor workload, and research productivity. CONCLUSIONS: Institutions can leverage this information to create better infrastructure to support faculty and develop and implement strategies to reduce workload inequities.