At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools throughout the United States switched to remote synchronous Zoom learning. Articles and literature emerged suggesting a gap in student engagement as a result of remote synchronous learning within the pandemic context. Previous literature has established a link between student needs satisfaction, outlined by the self-determination theory, and student engagement. This study seeks to determine how undergraduates describe their needs and engagement to understand this engagement gap and identify areas of focus for educators to improve student engagement within this context. To address this question, a survey was conducted at a central Pennsylvania university. Findings from this study support the relationship between the self-determination theory and student engagement in remote synchronous Zoom courses during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it was found that autonomy support and relatedness support may increase behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement in undergraduate students. Further research must be completed to determine best practices within this context.
