Distance Learning as the New Reality in Tertiary Education: A Case Study (original) (raw)
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A Case Study on How Distance Education May Inform Post-Pandemic University Teaching
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
Higher education recently found itself in the unprecedented situation of being forced to rapidly switch to online education as a demand of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article is to compare and contrast the experiences of university tutors who teach in two distance education universities with those who teach in a traditional university concerning their online lessons during lockdown. Forty university tutors participated in a survey to capture their teaching experiences. The survey was based on the transactional distance theory. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from both groups. Analysis of the quantitative data indicates no significant differences between the two groups in scores regarding course structure flexibility and the degree of student autonomy; however, significant difference with a high effect size was found regarding instructional dialogue, in favor of the distance tutors’ group. Thematically analyzing the qualitative data allowed the resear...
International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies
The Covid19 pandemic process, which is the biggest global problem of the recent times, has been a negative factor that has profound effects in all sectors and different platforms, necessitating radical changes and plans to follow. Of course, education is one of the areas most affected and directed by this process. Many educational institutions in the world that provide services at various levels have had to give more importance to internet-based distance education applications and technologies. The aim of this study is to reflect the views of foreign language instructors in the university about distance education and to analyze the different situations they encounter in the process and make forward-looking suggestions. The study group of the research consists of 24 academic staff working in the faculties of Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Engineering, Administrative Sciences and Economics and Science at Tishk International University Language Preparatory School in the 2020-2021 academic year and voluntarily participated in the research. The data of the research were collected with a semi-structured interview form consisting of open-ended questions created by the researchers. Then, content analysis was performed on the data obtained from the study. As a result of the research, the online and offline distance education model, which is carried out throughout the year, provides flexibility of time and space, easy access and sharing to different resources and materials in many areas, positive interest of students in technology, preventing in-class pressure and other kinds of pressure. It has been determined that there are opportunities such as the ability to easily prevent classical discipline problems. On the other hand, the traditional formal education model has the advantage of being able to deal with students more closely and specifically, to establish face-to-face and eye contact, to interact and understand with body language, to have the usual classroom management experience, to actively participate in the lesson, to give instant feedback and to ensure the continuity of motivation. It has been determined by the instructors that it is more efficient and more beneficial for the academic development of the student than the distance education model due to the advantages of not interrupting the course due to connection problems, reliable measurement and evaluation in and out of the classroom.
Distance education, also called distance learning, e-learning, and online learning, is a practice of teaching and learning in which teachers and learners are not in a closed class or room in person, but where education takes place through various new-media technologies and all parties (student-teacher, teacherteacher, student-student) are able to communicate, interact and exchange information and emotions. Being on the agenda of educational science for a long time now and gaining further importance during COVID-19 lockdowns, both advantages (e.g., reducing social anxiety, and a flexible schedule) and disadvantages (lack of social interactivity, and miscommunication) of distance education are highly debated in the related literature. Therefore, this study, through a qualitative method (i.e., a case study design and semi-structured interviews), aims to analyse the opinions and experiences of academics regarding distance education and its applications. The participants consist of 36 lecturers working at 16 different Turkish universities selected by the purposeful sampling method (i.e., typical case sampling). The results suggest that the participants still have doubts about online distance education, and they mention both ups (ease of connection, and cost-effectiveness) and downs (lack of self-motivation, socialization, and the sense of isolation) of it. Nonetheless, none of the academics thinks distance education will replace an in-person learning environment in the near future. Thus, this study presents a general illustration of distance education
University Lecturers' Distance Learning Experiences Gained during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period
2020
Semester 2 of the academic year 2019/2020 has brought along a special situation and a variety of new solutions in education throughout the world. The emerging pandemic situation changed the system considerably by impeding both lecturers and students from working and meeting personally. Transition to online, distance education has also presented new challenges to educators, parents, teachers, university lecturers and students, as well as a new path of development. During our research, the experiences and difficulties gained by the members of Apaczai Csere Janos Faculty at Szechenyi István University in the past semester were examined with the help of an online questionnaire. Preliminary results show that the semester of distance learning, despite its difficulties, brought several positive results that enhanced teachers' creativity, pedagogical competencies as well as methodological culture of how the different tools and programs were used.
University Student’s Opinions on Distance Education during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Anatolian journal of education, 2024
Technological advances and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a significant paradigm shift in the field of education, especially in the field of distance education. In this period, although distance education offers a number of advantages to its users, it has also brought some difficulties. This sudden transition has had a profound impact on students, teachers, and institutions, leading to changes in teaching methods, assessment practices, and student engagement strategies. This study aims to investigate the problems that arise in the distance education process and to examine the effects of these problems on students in detail. A qualitative approach is considered ideal since it enables deeper understanding of experiences of university students during distance education. Convenience sampling was chosen because it provided easy access for the researchers and allowed the inclusion of participants who met the required criteria. The participants consisted of 37 people, 28 girls and 9 boys, who had experienced the distance education and were studying in the Psychological Counselling and Guidance programme in the second year of a state university located in the Aegean region of Türkiye. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using content analysis and thematic analysis methods. According to the findings of the study, the problems encountered by the students in the distance education process were listed under the following main themes: technological problems, problems related to the monitoring and evaluation of the course, motivation problems, emotional and physical problems, communication problems, problems related to domestic and environmental factors, feeling of professional inadequacy. In addition, students' suggestions for solutions to these problems and their opinions about whether they prefer face-to-face or online education were also discussed. As a result, the study offers suggestions for educational institutions and educators to overcome the difficulties encountered in distance education and to make the experience a positive one.
A Qualitative Study on Effective Distance Language Education: Advantages and Challenges From The Learners’ Perspectives, 2023
The advent of digitalisation and the spread of online platforms have transformed the way educational materials are delivered, creating unprecedented learning opportunities. This innovative modality, capable of initiating a paradigm shift, enables students to obtain their education from virtually any location. The main objective of this research study is to investigate and assess the effectiveness of real-time online instruction in the German language. This appraisal includes the standard of instruction, the degree of interaction in the online milieu, and the deployment of Web 2.0 tools, all viewed from the learner's perspective. This research aims to elucidate the experiences and perceptions of students from diverse academic backgrounds who participated in the German language instruction course at a public university during the post-pandemic period. The syllabus was constructed with reference to content development models in distance education. Data collection for the study was achieved via an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interview forms. The study design is rooted in action research. The collected data were examined with the MAXQDA 2022 qualitative data analysis software. The research pinpointed three primary themes from the compiled data: structure related issues on distance education, effective communication in distance education, and viewpoints on Web 2.0 tools. These themes offer an extensive insight into the present scenario and potential future trajectory of online language education.
INTED2021 Proceedings, 2021
In Croatia, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, only 20% of higher education classes took place remotely. Teaching through different platforms due to the prolonged crisis situation was a great challenge for all participants. The level of preparation and experience of teachers and students at Croatian higher education institutions were very different. As research related to the circumstances of teaching in the digital environment at the very beginning of the public health crisis caused by Coronavirus is rare, this paper aims to invest the personal experience of teachers and students in relation to certain aspects of distance learning in Croatian higher education institutions during the first 30 days of COVID19. The anonymous web survey was conducted during April and May 2020, on a deliberate sample of students (N = 249, F = 66.27%) and teachers (N = 77, F = 70.13%) of Croatian higher education institutions (public institution N = 88.32%). A questionnaire for data collection was created which, in addition to general data, collected information related to participants' personal experiences and satisfaction with the facilitation, design and quality of distance learning and their own response due to sudden circumstances and perceived learning outcomes. For the purposes of this paper, data were processed by descriptive statistical procedures and appropriate nonparametric methods (chi-square test - χ2) and presented in the form of absolute or relative frequencies. In this sample, the student population shows the highest satisfaction with the amount of technical support received in the personal environment (M = 7.76; SD = 2.383) and the personal adjustment to the distance learning (M = 7.35; SD = 2.699), while the least satisfied are with their own interaction (M = 5.72; SD = 3.099). In comparison to students, teachers generally show higher values of satisfaction, as with the provided technical support in the personal environment (M = 8.38; SD = 2.519) and provided institutional support (M = 8.22; SD = 2.634), however they were least satisfied with student interaction during the online learning activities (M = 6.70; SD = 2.656). By testing the randomness of the distribution of student responses, a high correlation was found at the level of statistical significance p <1% on variables in relation to personal participants' experience (χ2 = 87,647, df = 4), assessment of learning outcomes χ2 = 162,446, df = 5) and examples of good practice they would like to apply in contact teaching (χ2 = 40,819, df = 4). Given that no significance was found in teachers' answers on the same variables, it seems that in this sample, realized patterns of distance learning in crisis situations cannot be described as innovative or focused on developing new tools, skills and knowledge in distance learning. "On-line" classes held in the summer semester of the 2019/20 academic year are in fact classic classes that were held in a digital environment due to extraordinary circumstances. This paper seeks to contribute to the increase in the number of accredited distance learning programs and positive change towards high education distance learning competencies. Given that no significance was found in teachers' answers on the same variables, it seems that in this sample, realized patterns of distance learning in crisis situations cannot be described as innovative or focused on developing new tools, skills and knowledge in distance learning. "On-line" classes held in the summer semester of the 2019/20 academic year are in fact classic classes that were held in a digital environment due to extraordinary circumstances. This paper seeks to contribute to the increase in the number of accredited distance learning programs and positive change towards high education distance learning competencies. Given that no significance was found in teachers' answers on the same variables, it seems that in this sample, realized patterns of distance learning in crisis situations cannot be described as innovative or focused on developing new tools, skills and knowledge in distance learning. "On-line" classes held in the summer semester of the 2019/20 academic year are in fact classic classes that were held in a digital environment due to extraordinary circumstances. This paper seeks to contribute to the increase in the number of accredited distance learning programs and positive change towards high education distance learning competencies. skills and knowledge in distance learning. "On-line" classes held in the summer semester of the 2019/20 academic year are in fact classic classes that were held in a digital environment due to extraordinary circumstances. This paper seeks to contribute to the increase in the number of accredited distance learning programs and positive change towards high education distance learning competencies. skills and knowledge in distance learning. "On-line" classes held in the summer semester of the 2019/20 academic year are in fact classic classes that were held in a digital environment due to extraordinary circumstances. This paper seeks to contribute to the increase in the number of accredited distance learning programs and positive change towards high education distance learning competencies.
Distance learning of students in the modern world
2021
The article examines the problem of organizing distance learning in the conditions of uncertainty and the forced transition of teachers and students to online interaction. The situation that has arisen is viewed as a natural experiment the education system finds itself in requiring an understanding of its results at a certain stage. A theoretical analysis of the most popular distance learning organization technology implemented in Russian universities under current conditions (the coronavirus pandemic) is conducted and a critical evaluation of the obtained initial results of the readiness of higher education system to transition into the new digital education reality is provided. The discovered problems of distance learning include: the insufficient level of teachers’ digital tolerance and the lack of necessary competencies in them; the psycho-emotional instability of the online interaction participants; low learning motivation and the level of students’ practical skills; the lack o...
Pedagogical Innovation and Distance Education in Higher Education in the (post-) COVID era
Proceedings of the Innovating Higher Education Conference 2021 , 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for higher education institutions to promote pedagogical innovation. Although it is evident that distance learning is different from emergency remote teaching, this crisis response provided a good opportunity to acknowledge the benefits of distance education. However, for an effective and sustainable change it is essential to identify the key success factors of distance learning. This paper presents the main contributions of a research related to the transition from face-to-face to remote education, carried out in a Portuguese Higher Education School during the COVID-19 pandemic, that explored college students and teaching staff acceptance of emergency remote teaching. From a methodological point of view, we followed a quantitative approach with the application of two questionnaires, one to the students and the other to the teaching staff. We have identified some constraints faced by the respondents, but also a set of factors with a positive impact on distance education success: access to technological resources, digital skills, work conditions, heavy workload, and learning environment; flexibility, guidance, and interaction; assessment criteria and practices are some examples that will be discussed in this paper. Findings from this study enhance the discussion around dimensions such as pedagogical innovation and the development of teaching staff digital skills. Additionally, findings revealed openness of professors and students to adopt distance learning in the future. Finally, these conclusions contribute not only to improve institution's study programs, but also to pave the way for the creation of new ones in distance learning modalities (b-learning or e-learning).
Article, 2021
In the eary periods of distance education when it was considered as a separate field. During the pandemic process, even the education-training and evaluation processes have started to be done through distance education. The present research tries to reveal research trends including the development of distance education and the pandemic process. The research was carried out in qualitative research design with document analysis. 333 articles published in the field of distance education between 2017-2020 in the Dergipark database constitute the sample of the present research. These articles are examined in terms of form, methodology and content. Data analysis for the present research was conducted by descriptive analysis method. While the trend of quantitative research was at the forefront in the distance education researches until the pandemic process; in 2020, which covers the pandemic process, the qualitative research trend has come to the fore and the interviews were conducted from afar; there are also studies that try to reveal the problems related to distance education, and the use of online tools has increased. In addition, it has been observed that studies on distance education have started to be published in many other fields apart from the field of distance education.