Validation of an Instrument to Measure Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning

Abstract

In the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the health measures derived from it, emergency online learning (EOL) became the only possible alternative to be able to continue the training process in the university context. The general ob-jective of the present research is to know the perceptions and evaluations of stu-dents at a Chilean public university about the "emergency" online learning pro-cess that occurred in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on several previous works related to online learning (OL), an instrument (questionnaire) was developed and implemented with the participation of 117 students. The re-search is quantitative-descriptive and had the following specific objectives: (1) To determine the attitude of university students towards EOL; (2) To characterize the learning experience of students in online modality; (3) To know about the availa-ble resources of students for EOL; and (4) To validate the developed questionnaire through a factor structure analysis. In general, the results show that students are proficient in the aspects related to self-management of learning, but have a low level of motivation for EOL and suffer a deficit in aspects related to interac-tion with others (teachers and peers). These results provide a first approximation of Chilean students' perceptions of EOL and allow us to identify several aspects that should be improved by professors and university authorities. This research was financially supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD as part of the project “Praxispartnerschaften zwischen Hochschulen und Un-ternehmen in Deutschland und in Entwicklungsländern ab 2017” (Project Nr. 57334905).

Online Learning and Experiences in Higher Education during COVID-19: A Systematic Review

“…Behavioral engagement: The studies analyzed detected difficulties on the part of students in relating (interacting and communicating) with their classmates [1,45,47,48]. Regarding the relationship with teachers, some studies detected good communication [3,31,44], while others highlighted problems in interacting [45] and achieving fluent verbal communication with them [1].…”

“…Nevertheless, some advantages were recognized concerning pedagogical aspects. For instance, some were more proactive in performing tasks [45], completed the tasks assigned in the courses on time [49], were engaged in learning, and achieved the expected objectives [46]. Additionally, an improvement in academic performance [54] and pedagogical performance was detected in the case of trainee teachers [43].…”

“…Cognitive engagement: The students showed different levels of motivation in the reviewed studies, as some considered the use of technological tools motivating [49] and wanted to actively participate in classes [46], while others showed low motivation for online learning [44,45], especially when the image or audio was deficient [50].…”

“…Several studies found that the tools offered facilitated students' access to information [42,54], which favored their independent work [45,49,50,54]. Additionally, immersive technologies favor pedagogical reflection [43].…”

“…Although students valued the flexibility [45,50] and the time that the virtual modality offered them to study and spend with their family and friends, many reported feeling tired, stressed, anxious, or frustrated [1,31,42]. Furthermore, some of them felt that the higher the virtuality, the lower the quality (e.g., attention, concentration, and visual memory) and experience of learning (e.g., social aspects) [47,50].…”