We designed a bibliometric review combined with a systematic review of relevant research on student perceptions of online education, which was conducted from March 2020 until September 2022 (focused on emergency remote teaching). By exploring the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases, we selected 154 articles addressing mostly positive/negative as well as neutral student perceptions. The methodology followed the Khan five-step approach and included a PRISMA flowchart integrating keywords for selecting the relevant quantitative data for the analysis. Evidence was brought forward identifying the advantages of online education based on efficiency-related factors, contributing to the supportive attitudes of the learners (digital technology application, self-directed learning and flexibility). Our analysis revealed that the pursued research field is still insufficiently explored. Universities must prepare more consciously for embedding current technological challenges to cope with unforeseen situations, such as an immediate switch from the classic face-to-face teaching to online based on digital technology education. The greatest challenge for the universities in the digital society is given by the just-in-time, flexible adaptation to the unplanned situations. Therefore, universities must always be prepared to make the switch from offline to online and vice versa—at the same time, guaranteeing the quality of teaching processes and student satisfaction. Future trends in education reveal the role of digitalization of the educational sector in integrating innovative technologies in the educational curriculum and calls for a new pedagogical approach that is centred on learners’ self-directed learning, collaborative learning and the cognitive and social presence of students and teachers. The most important contributions of the paper reside in an in-depth analysis of student perceptions of online education processes and their perceived advantages and disadvantages related to online learning experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. These advantages were analysed against efficiency-related factors, and, among them, the “application of technologies” is considered relevant for a niche investigation of the technology acceptance model (TAM).

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This paper aims to measure learners’ preferences for a specific teaching format (online, hybrid, or face-to-face) based on their experience, usage, and interaction with e-learning platforms (Moodle/MS Teams), on their participation in e-learning courses delivered via online streaming platforms (Zoom), on teaching staff skills and teaching–learning abilities, as well as on the advantages and disadvantages of those forms of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In implementing the research question, a conceptual model was developed, which was further analyzed by means of structural equations modelling via SmartPLS 3.3.9 (SmartPLS GmbH, Boenningstedt, Germany). The data were collected via quantitative research implemented through an online questionnaire addressed to learners (students) from an emerging market during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research contributes to extending social learning theory and the social cognitive learning theory by pinpointing the learners’ preference for the online educational format and by showing how a blended learning environment in universities can be developed by fructifying the gains in terms of digital skills acquisition during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper highlights the contribution of the online educational environment in extending the use of interactive digital tools and resources, engaging the learners, and creating the opportunity for them to become accountable for their learning experiences.

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