Distance Learning Perceptions from Higher Education Students—The Case of Portugal

Abstract

This research study examines the attitudes of Portuguese higher education students regarding compulsory digital and distance learning university courses during the second semester of the academic year 2019–2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology was quantitative, being the undergraduate and postgraduate students surveyed to find their perceptions about distance and online education in Portugal. The findings of the study highlighted the relationship between distance and online learning. The key concern of the respondents is related to the formal and contextual dimensions of the online class regime. The values examined, taken as a whole, allow us to conclude that with this teaching regime, in terms of awareness, there is acceptance and benefit. The sense of ambiguity in which this transformation took place, as well as the climate surrounding this phase, are worth noting. The teaching and evaluation methodologies used have been embraced and show a very wide range of choices on the part of the teaching teams and the students’ various interests, just as in the teaching regime of the classroom. The fact that students feel the need for face-to-face classes, however, is of great importance for practical and laboratory classes. This reality, which is a challenge to face in the future, is hard to overcome.

EU27 Higher Education Institutions and COVID-19, Year 2020

“…The negative anxiety of students due to the pandemic is reflected in their e-learning processes [45]. A negative correlation was also reported between the impact of the pandemic on the academic path and the attitudes of Portuguese students in higher education concerning the mandatory nature of the digital university and distance learning [55].…”

“…Students were more satisfied with the online classes the more positive their attitudes towards the impact of the pandemic, the level of HEI preparation and adaptation, satisfaction with the evaluation format, and the overall experience balance [55].…”

“…Most studies included surveys answered by students. the sample size varies widely: from 100 or less [38,39,51], 250 or less [37,40,45,46,49,50,55], less than 1000 students [42,44,54], or more than 1000 [47,48]. Two studies use the General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for E-Learning (GETAMEL) [39,47], one study uses the Digital Citizenship Behavior Scale (DCB) [45] and another uses the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) [48].…”

Analysing Students’ Reasons for Keeping Their Webcams on or off during Online Classes

“…Therefore, research conducted in various universities across the globe point to some of the challenges faced by the parties involved in the educational process, such as teachers' and students' reactions to moving to online teaching and learning activities [1][2][3][4]; collaboration between "different shareholders (e.g., psychologists, sociologists, therapists, etc.) to offer better and timely solutions", particularly to students' problems [5]; students' and teachers' experiences with the digital environment caused by swapping classroom activities performed in a physical location with those completed on online platforms, such as Zoom, Google Classroom, Google Meet, Cisco Webex, and many others [6][7][8][9]; identification of effective online teaching principles and strategies that can have a positive impact on students, increasing their involvement in educational activities [10,11]; teachers' endeavours to develop new skills, capabilities, and competencies that are useful in the digital classroom format [12]; teachers' and students' use of social media in order to communicate with each other [6,13]; teachers' Sustainability 2021, 13, 3203 2 of 13 and students' use of webcams during online classes [1]; students' perceptions of the online educational format [14][15][16]; and institutional difficulties in solving encountered technical problems [15]. In the analyses studied, in the majority of the situations, experiences are presented without taking into account students' opinions on the changes produced in the educational system.…”

Aspects of Distance Education in Combination with Home Offices

“…Reference [7] surveyed the undergraduate and postgraduate students to find their perceptions about distance and online education in Portugal. According to the study, students felt that the need for face-to-face classes was of great importance for practical and laboratory classes.…”