Students’ Preferences and Perceptions Regarding Online versus Offline Teaching and Learning Post-COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic at its peak compelled students to stay home and adapt to the distance learning system. The world has gone through phases of fear and respite in the recent years. There have been a number of studies related to student learning via online teaching during the pandemic. Now, as the vaccination coverage picks up and the pandemic appears to have achieved a plateau, it is time to take a view of students’ perceptions of online learning and its effectiveness in skill development during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assesses the students’ preferences and perceptions regarding offline and online learning post-COVID-19 lockdown and with the resumption of offline classes. A cross-sectional study was conducted at King Khalid University, Aseer region, from the period of 1 January 2022 to 30 January 2022. A convenience sampling technique was utilized to collect data from female students. Data analysis was conducted by using SPSS version 22.0. A total of 480 students participated in the study, their mean age was 19.79 ± 1.48. More than half of the students (64%) still fear getting COVID-19 as they continue with the in-person or offline classes despite having completed their doses of vaccination. Almost half of the students have difficulty in waking up after the recommencement of offline classes. The majority (77%) felt tired after starting offline classes, and 63% felt unhappy after starting offline classes again. The majority of students believe that, with offline classes, they have difficulty in time management and concentration. The majority of students believed that, with online classes, they are more comfortable in gaining knowledge and learning, more alert, more satisfied, and gain higher scores in exams. The majority of students preferred the online mode of learning, with about 72% of students wishing to continue online learning in the future. This research underlines the influence of fear of getting COVID-19 after the commencement of face-to-face learning amongst the students. Students were more inclined to continue with online classes because of fear of getting COVID-19, despite having full doses of the vaccination in Saudi Arabia. There is a need for a better understanding of students’ motivations and coping mechanisms during the pandemic.

Back to the New Normal in Engineering Education towards Student-Centered Learning: Remote? In Person? Hybrid?

“…And 44% of the respondents eliminated their shyness to participate in questions and discussions. Figure 5 shows that 64% of the respondents do not achieve a better understanding with distance learning, which is in line with [43]'s results that an online synchronous delivery approach of environmental engineering does not maintain the same level of students' performance as in the hybrid delivery, but is in contrast with [23]'s findings, where the majority of students were more satisfied and comfortable in gaining knowledge and learning with online classes, as they also gain higher scores in exams. However, 72% of the respondents understand that remote learning is the future trend of education and learning; 78% love dealing with technology and acquiring new digital skills, and 71% feel that they gained the skill to rely on themselves.…”

“…However, the conclusions of [23], who investigated students' preferences and perceptions towards offline and online learning post-COVID-19 lockdown at a Saudi University, contradict with the above findings. The findings of [23] revealed that a significant majority of students had a fear of catching the coronavirus and wished to pursue online classes as they faced time management issues, depression, and tiredness in the face-to-face mode of learning. The results of [24]'s study, which analyzed the move to emergency remote teaching at the School of Telecommunication Engineering in Madrid, show an increase in students' academic performance in emergency remote teaching.…”

“…Students faced challenges during remote learning amid COVID-19 including content perception, course delivery, and technology tools, as well as behavioral challenges as highlighted by [21,22]. However, the conclusions of [23], who investigated students' preferences and perceptions towards offline and online learning post-COVID-19 lockdown at a Saudi University, contradict with the above findings. The findings of [23] revealed that a significant majority of students had a fear of catching the coronavirus and wished to pursue online classes as they faced time management issues, depression, and tiredness in the face-to-face mode of learning.…”

Evaluating Sustainable Online Education: A Cross-Disciplinary Analysis of IT Device Utilization among Slovakian and Hungarian University Students

“…The easier accessibility of learning materials was evaluated as a positive aspect, while Slovak students also prefer remote exams. The time and cost savings from the absence of travel, flexible schedules, and home comfort, which are mentioned in the literature as essential positives [4,24,25,28,[31][32][33][34], were not mentioned as decisive factors for the students surveyed in this study. Even though the digital generation's use of IT devices and the Internet has recently increased, regardless of the pandemic, university students still use the materials and literature provided or recommended by the lecturer and do not take the trouble to search and develop literature on the subject themselves.…”

“…The survey revealed that the practice-oriented strategy was less effective in terms of results and, overall, the students were less satisfied with online education. In a study by Riaz et al [28] in Saudi Arabia, students were very positive about their home learning. People returning to universities after the closures complained about fatigue (77% of survey participants), demotivation, and unhappiness (63%).…”