Education is becoming digital: The youth attitudes towards online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

One year has passed since the world declared a state of a pandemic caused by COVID-19. The main objective was to limit the number of people in public places to mitigate the spread of the virus. The Serbian government also decided to suspend teaching in higher education institutions, secondary and primary schools, and the regular operation of preschool education institutions. The habitats of all the inhabitants of the world have completely changed in all spheres of life. Offices and classrooms have moved into family homes and the question now arises as to how much digitization has made it easier or harder to complete everyday responsibilities. However, they all had to come to terms with the fact and adapt in a possible way to the current situation. Teachers and parents faced a difficult challenge, but perhaps the most difficult was for pupils and students, among whom many have not had direct contact with their professors for a year and they master most of the material on their own. The aim of the research in this paper was to determine how much the way of conducting online teaching in Serbia has changed, compared to last year. An attempt was made to determine whether more positive or negative grades were given by students for the approach and manner of teaching in high schools and faculties.

Do we talk to a wall or pass on knowledge to students: The advantages and disadvantages of online learning

“…Based on the answers obtained in this research (Kaličanin et al 2021), it is evident that the respond- ents were very satisfied with the time they saved on transportation -78 of them, with only 16 respondents expressing dissatisfaction. When it comes to the availability of lecturers, even 84 of them expressed satisfaction.…”

“…Students do not have to worry about how much time they need to prepare for classes. Materials are always available on the platforms and they can be downloaded at any time (before, during or after classes) (Kaličanin et al 2021). In addition to having more free time, anoth-er advantage concerns the place from which students will attend lessons.…”

“…In a survey conducted at the beginning of 2021, the aim of which was to collect and analyze students' opinion on online learning, respondents aged 18 to 25 stated that what they wanted and genuinely expected was to have more interaction with lecturers. They pointed out that there must be a greater interest on the part of professors to make lectures as interesting as possible, rather than simply tell the theory (Kaličanin et al 2021). Evidently, talking to a wall, or as a matter of fact to a screen, is not something that concerns only teachers; it represents a major stumbling block to successful learning even from students' perspective.…”

“…One of the questions in the questionnaire was "Would you continue your education in this way in the future?" and most of them (66.2%) chose the answer "No, because I think that going to classes and socializing are important" (Kaličanin et al 2021). So, it can further be concluded that another significant disadvantage of online learning is lack of socialization with classmates and lecturers.…”

Mothers’ experience of virtual education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

“…In Serbia, after one year of virtual learning, professors improved their knowledge of online technology and educational equipment, and students were satisfied with the quality of online education. However, they also noted that nothing can replace traditional education and socializing with peers [ 19 ]. The findings of our study are largely consistent with other studies on virtual education [ 20 , 21 ].…”