Contribution: The study provides empirical evidence and a deeper understanding of COVID-19's impact on first-year engineering (FYE) students' learning experiences and motivation while accounting for gender and race/ethnicity-based variations. Background: In the Spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced campuses to close and shift unexpectedly to emergency remote instruction. These rapid transitions impacted all students, including FYE students. Research Questions: Based on the importance of the first-year experience of engineering students, this study investigated two research questions: (1) How does the rapid transition to emergency remote instruction affect FYE students' learning experiences? and (2) How do students' learning experiences during the pandemic relate to their motivation (self-efficacy and task value)? Methodology: A multimethod approach is used to investigate students' experiences on two dimensions: (1) engagement, learning, effort, concentration, interest, and interactions and (2) time management, study settings, and resources, by using ANOVA, regression models, and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: Students who reported increased value of learning experiences reported higher self-efficacy and task value. Also, the results indicated that international students reported increased learning of new concepts, concentration in the class, interactions with instructors, and higher self-efficacy, while White and Asian students reported higher task value and availability of resources.