opinion essay about distance education

Online college classes can be better than in-person ones. The implications for higher ed are profound.

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February 10, 2022

When the Covid pandemic started in early 2020, colleges shifted to remote learning out of necessity. With large in-person gatherings in classrooms suddenly off-limits, online instruction was viewed as the lesser of two evils—inferior to in-person classes, but infinitely better than no classes at all.

Two years later, something unexpected has happened. For many college courses, online instruction is proving to be far more effective than many people anticipated. Why? One key reason is that today’s communications networks and consumer devices enable much higher quality telepresence than was possible a decade ago. But another reason is that due to the pandemic, enormous numbers of students and instructors have gained proficiency with online learning software.

In particular, the mass adoption of Zoom in higher education has created a network effect where its utility as an instructional tool is amplified by the number of people who have become familiar with using it. The quality of a well-run synchronous (i.e., live, as opposed to pre-recorded) online class can now rival—and in some respects exceed—the quality of the in-person equivalent.

Supporting a broader range of learning styles

Synchronous online instruction allows a richer set of interactions. When I am teaching online, the Zoom “chat” window often becomes a nonstop stream of insightful ideas, reactions, and web links provided by students. Rather than distracting from the course, the chat dialog enriches it. Students ask and answer questions from me and from each other, offer thoughts, and react to posts from their peers. In a recent class discussion regarding the First Amendment, as soon as I mentioned several related Supreme Court cases, one of the students dropped links to the rulings into the chat. There’s simply no analog to this parallel form of engagement in a traditional in-person class.

I’ve also found that there are students who are reticent about speaking up during in-person classes, but comfortable using the chat function in online classes to provide written comments or questions. It makes me wonder: How many thoughtful, interesting perspectives went unexpressed in my pre-pandemic in-person classes? Clearly, there must have been students in those classrooms who would have been happy to provide their ideas in written form had that been feasible, but who instead stayed silent because it was not.

Another advantage of online instruction is the expanded ability to invite non-local guest speakers. In the past two years, I have hosted speakers in my online UCLA classes from as far away as Argentina. I now marvel at the time inefficiency of some of the pre-pandemic trips that I made when I was a guest speaker—when I would spend a full day, and sometimes more, to take a round trip plane flight in order to spend 90 minutes in a classroom at another university. It’s asking a lot to expect a guest speaker to devote that much time in order to participate in a single class meeting. By contrast, online guest appearances take only an hour or two of the speaker’s time, making the universe of people who are available to speak vastly larger.

In addition, at the many colleges that currently require students and instructors to be masked while in a physical classroom, there’s another advantage to online instruction that’s so obvious and fundamental that it often goes unstated: it’s a lot easier to understand what someone is saying when you can see their face.

Recognition of the potential advantages of online instruction isn’t new. A paper published back in 2001 noted that online courses could “address a variety of learning styles,” allow “access to a larger variety of quality resources,” and enable instructors to “use creative teaching methods in delivering material.” Due to the pandemic-induced mass adoption of online college instruction, those predictions have proven to be true on a scale that would have been hard to imagine two decades ago.

Challenges in online learning environments

Of course, online learning has downsides as well. As a 2018 paper addressing “Online learning in higher education” put it, “an online environment might benefit certain types of engagement, but may also be somewhat of a deterrent to others.”

A key disadvantage to online instruction is that there are categories of courses for which it falls woefully short—think chemistry laboratories, studio art classes, and the like. An additional vitally important concern is that online learning can be isolating. An online class doesn’t allow the level of spontaneous interactions among students that occur before, in, and after in-person class meetings. That’s an important mechanism for students to find study partners and teammates for class projects, and more generally to socialize and to get to know their peers.

There are also well-documented equity concerns with online learning , including the fact that not all students have a home with access to reliable internet and a computer. But there are also equity issues on the other side of the ledger. Not all students are in a position to live on-campus or within easy commuting distance of one. And some students have caregiving responsibilities for a young child or elderly relative that limit their flexibility for leaving home. For those students, it can be more equitable to offer online instruction than to require their presence in a physical classroom.

Rethinking college online instruction

The bottom line is that the preconceived notions that I and many others in higher education had about the supposedly unambiguous inferiority of online classes have proven to be wrong. Unfortunately, few college administrators are likely to acknowledge the advantages of synchronous online instruction. Doing so would call into question the entire model of the residential college—a concept that is a multi-billion-dollar business, a central feature of the American cultural landscape, and a rite of passage all rolled up into one.

But a more objective, pandemic-seasoned appraisal of online learning would admit that thanks to technology, the campus classroom—the actual and symbolic core around which all that college has come to mean is constructed—no longer needs to be a physical room. We are probably not ready to imagine how higher education might look if it were redesigned from the ground up, taking full advantage of the opportunities created by technology to maximize student engagement and instructional quality, accessibility, and equity.

One thing is sure: It would look very different from the higher education ecosystem we have today.

Higher education students' experiences and opinion about distance learning during the Covid‐19 pandemic

Aleksandra stevanović.

1 Faculty of Information Technology, Belgrade Metropolitan University, Belgrade Serbia

Radoslav Božić

2 Highschool “Svetozar Markovic”, Novi Sad Serbia

Slaviša Radović

3 Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen The Netherlands

Associated Data

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

The Covid‐19 pandemic has created significant challenges for the global higher education community. Understanding of students' perception has important implications for the quality of the learning process, as it affects students' engagement in learning, helps educators rethink the principles of the learning design and further improve the developed programs.

Understanding of how rapid and necessary changes of learning caused by the pandemic are related to students' intrinsic motivation and awareness.

There were 832 participants in this study. Quantitative and qualitative research methods employing relevant statistical techniques were used to research students' opinions regarding the distance learning process.

Results and Conclusions

Our analysis showed that first‐year students were significantly less motivated during the learning process than older students, they saw distance learning as less valuable and less interesting than the others. Our research found several positive consequences of the pandemic: working according to students' own schedule in a relaxed environment, looking at the lecture again if necessary, feeling free to ask questions and communicate with teachers and saving travel time.

Implications

Teachers should have more understanding for the first‐year students who are threatened when it comes to developing motivation to learn and help them cope with learning anxieties, encourage their self‐belief and give them extra support during the learning process.

1. INTRODUCTION

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) outbreak has rapidly transitioned into a worldwide pandemic, which has led to the adoption of severe measures to counteract the spread of the infection. Social distancing and lockdown measures have modified people's habits, while the Internet has gained the major role in supporting all sectors of the society, especially education. The Covid‐19 pandemic has created significant challenges for the global higher education community, for which not all institutions were prepared. ‘Emergency remote teaching’ as a temporary solution (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020 ) has been adopted in order to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on education.

The same happened in Serbia. When the state of emergency was declared (15 March 2020) all faculties were closed, traditional face‐to‐face lectures were officially cancelled and exams were delayed, so it was necessary to change the approach to the entire educational process. In an extremely short period of time, traditional teaching was shifted from classrooms to the Internet and distance learning.

There is literature that points out the impact of the Covid‐19 pandemic on global education in terms of difficulties, constraints and challenges faced by governments and institutions (Aucejo et al., 2020 ; Huber & Helm, 2020 ). Furthermore, publications have focused on innovations, experiences and descriptions of how institutions adapted to the new scenario created by the Covid‐19 pandemic (Flores & Gago, 2020 ; Moorhouse, 2020 ). From a different perspective, several studies have been conducted to examine students' perceptions of changed environments. Hassan et al. ( 2021 ) recognized students' perceptions of quality and satisfaction in taking virtual classes as important factors in maintaining students' motivation for learning and their academic performance. However, a strong negative correlation between the impact of the pandemic on learning and higher education students' attitudes was demonstrated in the study by Gonçalves et al. ( 2020 ). Chandra ( 2020 ) pointed out several negative consequences of the pandemic: students experienced academic stress, fear of failure, feelings of boredom and depressive thoughts that distracted students from academic and creative activities. These findings underscore the importance of paying widespread attention to students' workload, motivation to learn, and providing appropriate pedagogical tools to reduce anxiety and negative academic self‐perceptions (Aucejo et al., 2020 ; Gonçalves et al., 2020 ; Hassan et al., 2021 ; Huber & Helm, 2020 ). Finally, recent studies have shown that various demographic factors (such as a different year of study, students' previous achievements, familiarity with learning environments and gender) can be linked to different levels of motivation and students' perceptions of learning (Chandra, 2020 ; Hassan et al., 2021 ).

The pandemic has brought exceptional circumstances that raise questions about appropriate teaching methods (Gonçalves et al., 2020 ). However, it would be important to examine students' perceptions and their experience during distance learning in such a changed educational environment more in detail. Understanding of students' perceptions has important implications for the quality of the learning process, as it affects students' engagement in learning, helps educators rethink the principles of the learning design and further improve the developed programmes.

Following the extensive literature of Martens and Kirschner ( 2004 ), Ryan and Deci ( 2000 ), Shroff et al. ( 2007 ) and many others, intrinsically motivated students exhibit study behaviours that can be associated with higher academic achievements, and are described as reflective, self‐regulatory and focused on the deep‐level processing. In addition, intrinsic motivation is identified as an important predictor of learning success, satisfaction, and outcome in higher education, including online learning (Martens et al., 2007 ; Shroff et al., 2007 ). However, when the state of emergency shifted classrooms to the Internet and distance learning, the impact of such change on students' motivation remains largely unexplored. This study was designed to provide empirical evidence on how different demographic factors can be linked to motivation, and what students believe are the positive and negative aspects of forced distance learning.

1.1. Distance learning

In the last few decades, distance learning with all variations has gained the importance. At first, distance learning was conducted by communicating the teaching contents via the telephone and distributing the printed material via the post. Later, audio and video recordings were used and distributed with printed material (Hannay & Newvine, 2006 ). With the development of technology, the internet got the key role in distance learning. As a result, the most common form of distance learning which gains importance is online and blended learning (Bates, 2005 ; Hannay & Newvine, 2006 ; Vanslambrouck et al., 2018 ).

While there are many definitions of online and blended learning, in the literature it is accepted that online learning is the style of education where every segment of the teaching and learning process is realized online, that is, by using the internet (Ally, 2008 ; Bates, 2005 ). This includes sharing the materials, communication among the teachers and the students, communication among the students, examinations and so forth. On the other hand, blended learning represents the combination of online and traditional learning. Sometimes the term ‘fully online learning’ is used in order to distinguish the courses, which cannot be realized without the internet access from the other distance learning courses. Also, the term ‘online learning’ and ‘e‐learning’ are often used as the synonyms, but they should be distinguished, as every form of learning based on the modern technology can be considered e‐learning, while online learning is primarily based on the use of the internet (Bates, 2005 ).

1.2. Motivation

Motivation is one of the most important factors in learning—it impacts the students' decision of what, how and when they will learn (Schunk & Usher, 2012 ). Consequently, motivation was the topic of a great deal of research (Schunk et al., 2014 ; Shroff et al., 2007 ). However, in the last decade, the research dealing with motivation in online and blended learning has been gaining importance. Most of this research deals with the improvement of motivation during the learning and the influence of a different kind of motivation on the students' achievements (Tseng & Walsh, 2016 ; Vanslambrouck et al., 2018 ). The special attention is also paid to the students' attitudes towards distance learning, as it is closely related to motivation and, consequently, to the learning outcomes (Hannay & Newvine, 2006 ; Karal et al., 2010 ).

Brophy defines motivation as ‘a theoretical construct to explain the initiation, direction, intensity, persistence, and quality of behaviour, especially goal‐directed behaviour’ (Brophy, 2010 , p. 3). It is often linked to the individuals' cognitive and affective processes—goals, thoughts, beliefs and emotions. Moreover, the relationship between the learner and the learning environment is important as there are many social and contextual factors, which impact motivation (Schunk et al., 2014 ).

Motivation is usually being examined from different perspectives, but the most common are the learning design perspective and the learner trait perspective (Hartnett, 2016 ). There are, also, several theories of motivation. Most of them deal with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000 ). Intrinsic motivation is related to individual's activities, which are being done in order to get some personal satisfaction. For example, when someone's goal in learning is to get some knowledge—it is intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is related to doing some activity in order to attain some separable outcome (Hartnett, 2016 ). Intrinsic motivation is identified as important to support students' curiosity, deep‐level learning, explorative behaviour and self‐regulation in distance learning, including online learning (Ryan & Deci, 2000 ; Shroff et al., 2007 ).

In some previous research, the motivation during online or blended learning was compared to the motivation during traditional learning. In addition, the students' achievements were the subject of the comparison. Tseng and Walsh ( 2016 ) stand on that the students at the university level are significantly more motivated during blended learning, but that the difference in their achievements is not statistically significant. Motivation during distance learning is usually very high, but intrinsic motivation is significantly higher than extrinsic.

The teachers should adjust the lessons and apply the other methods in order to increase the students' motivation (Wu, 2016 ). Likewise, they should take actions in order to minimize students' anxiety, defined as a ‘feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry’ (Horwitz et al., 1986 , p. 125). A study has shown that, when the learning environment changes, anxiety might reduce learners' interaction and diminish learning achievement (Makarova, 2021 ; Sharma & Sarkar, 2020 ). This specifically may be attributed across three main categories: communication apprehension, social evaluation and test anxiety (Horwitz et al., 1986 ). However, the research on motivation and anxiety suggests several strategies that a teacher can use to reduce learning anxiety, such as increasing communication with students (Makarova, 2021 ), providing the blended learning environment less stressful (Sharma & Sarkar, 2020 ), getting to know students better (Nehme, 2010 ) and encouraging their self‐belief (Horwitz et al., 1986 ).

1.3. Positive and negative aspects of distance learning

Besides motivation and achievements, the students' opinions about distance learning were also the topic of the research in this area. In the students' opinion, distance learning is very suitable for time management, reduction of costs and for the students who are prevented from attending lessons for some reason (employment, health, etc.). In addition, some of the students pointed out that it is much easier for them to attend a lesson by using a computer (Kutluk & Gulmez, 2012 ). The positive aspect of distance learning is also the possibility for the students to adjust their learning methods (Mulenga & Marbán, 2020 ).

However, the negative aspects of distance learning have also occurred. It was more difficult for the teachers to see the differences between students and, therefore, they are not able to anticipate the individual needs of students to the appropriate extent (Vanslambrouck et al., 2018 ). The most significant disadvantages of distance learning are related to the examining. Namely, there are the problems with the tests design, possibility of cheating, lack of motivation, increased anxiety, technical problems and insufficient digital literacy. In the research conducted by Kutluk and Gulmez ( 2012 ), the students expressed dissatisfaction with the possibilities of communication among the students and the teachers. Overcoming the problems with communication would be very important for the successful realization of online learning, because it directly impacts the students' satisfaction with the quality of teaching (Palmer & Holt, 2009 ).

In the last few years, the implementation of distance learning—online and, especially, blended learning, in the educational systems, has been recommended (Fidalgo et al., 2020 ). However, due to the Covid‐19 Pandemic, almost all educational systems in the world had to eliminate temporary traditional lessons and apply online learning in 2020. In these circumstances, it is important to study the available technology in order to improve the quality of the online learning (Dhawan, 2020 ). In addition, it is important to improve the students' attention and motivation and, especially, to reduce the pressure on the students (Allam et al., 2020 ). The latest research has shown that there is plenty of room for improvement of the quality of distance (online) education (Doghonadze et al., 2020 ; Wotto, 2020 ).

2. RESEARCH TOPICS

Although the contributions of earlier literature clearly indicate that students' motivation is positively related to students' behaviour, academic achievement and perception of learning environments, there is currently a need for a better understanding of how the rapid and necessary changes of learning caused by the pandemic are related to students' intrinsic motivation. We examine whether students' demographic characteristics influenced students' perception of dimensions of motivation (enjoyment, effort and value). We also consider investigating students' awareness (of positive and negative aspects) of the educational changes and modifications, which are not well‐known, and the lack of empirical evidence in contemporary literature. Therefore, the present article aims to contribute to that understanding by investigating the perception of students. Two main research topics will be addressed:

Does students' motivation for distance learning differ depending on their demographics data?
What are the positive and negative aspects of distance learning in the students' opinion?

3. METHODOLOGY

Quantitative and qualitative research methods employing relevant statistical techniques were used to research the topics. In order to gain a more complete understanding of students' experiences of distance learning Nemoto and Beglar ( 2014 ) recommended the construction of an investigation from several perspectives. According to that, we used the questionnaire with four sections: demographic information; measures on motivation by Likert scale; multiple choices of positive and negative aspects about distance learning and finally, debriefing section to get more qualitative insight into students' opinions regarding the distance learning process.

Students began the academic year in October 2019 and by March 2020, they were attending lectures in accordance with their study programme (in a traditional, blended or online approach). When the state of emergency was declared in Serbia, all lectures switched to online learning in all study programmes. While some universities needed a fundamental change of learning environments (traditional), others were quite prepared (online). Therefore, students' intrinsic motivation and their opinions about the change have been studied in the research. At the end of the semester (after distance learning classes ended in June 2020), we sent the questionnaire by email, which students filled out voluntarily and anonymously.

3.1. Participants

There were 832 participants in this study, mostly undergraduate students from two universities in Serbia (626 participants from Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad (UNS) and 206 participants from the faculties of University Metropolitan (UM) in Belgrade). The demographic data are shown in Table 1 .

Demographic data

Note : %, percent of students.

Abbreviations: N , number of students; UM, University Metropolitan; UNS, University of Novi Sad.

Before the pandemic and distance learning, as the only option available, the participants took part in one of three different learning environments: traditional, blended and online. Traditional learning environments were organized to be held on the university premises with face‐to‐face interactions, which took place in accordance with the adopted teaching schedule. On the other hand, online learning environment implies that students had access to multimedia online lessons from their homes through various tools (i.e., teaching materials delivered through the platforms LAMS and Moodle; Online live video lectures via Zoom, Skype, Webex Meetings and others; Power Point presentations and various subject‐specific softwares). Students did not attend lectures physically, but if they needed them, they were available via video conference. Finally, the blended learning environment was designed as a combination of online (in case of lectures and theoretical speeches) and traditional (in case of exercises, laboratory assignments or for the more practiced trainings).

3.2. Measuring instruments

Based on the research topic, a questionnaire was made consisting of four sections. The first section collected students' demographic data (gender, university, learning environments, year of study and grade point average).

The second section was based on the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (Deci et al., 1994 ) questionnaire with measures of motivation. Intrinsic motivation inventory (IMI) is a multidimensional measurement device intended to assess participants' subjective experience related to a distance learning activity during Covid‐19 pandemic. IMI is a strongly supported questionnaire for its validity and reliability (McAuley et al., 1987 ) and used extensively in the field of higher education (e.g., Radović et al., 2020 ; Ryan, 1982 ). From the seven IMI dimensions, we have used three subscales (in total 12 items): ‘Effort/Importance’ (IMI_EI, two items) – perception of effort and importance; ‘Value/Usefulness’ (IMI_VU, six items)—perception of benefits from the activity and ‘Interest/Enjoyment’ (IMI_IE, four items)—perception of interest and enjoyment. The students rated questionnaire items on six‐point Likert's scale ranging from one (strongly disagree) to six (strongly agree) (Chomeya, 2010 ; Cummins & Gullone, 2000 ).

The third section introduced 16 statements about distance learning. This was developed and refined in cooperation with the Quality Commission of Metropolitan University during the ethical approval procedure. The students could select items (the full list of items can be found in Table Table6) 6 ) in order to express their agreement with a statement given. We measured their responses according to two aspects: positive and negative (as advantages and disadvantages of distance learning).

Distribution of students' impressions about distance learning according to study year

Abbreviations: n, number of answers; Neg, negative aspect; Pos, positive aspect; I, first year; II, second year; III third year; IV forth year.

The final section of the questionnaire introduced semi‐structured debriefing session stimulated by two open questions (One: ‘Describe advantages of distance learning from your perspective’, and two: ‘Describe disadvantages of distance learning from your perspective’).

Using Cronbach's α we calculated the reliability of α = 0.795 for the overall motivation scale (for 12 items). The obtained value indicates that all items have adequate, almost high, reliability and measure the same concept. Then, we calculated the internal consistency of each subscale of the questionnaire (Taber, 2018 ). The two subscales (IMI_VU with six and IMI_IE with 4 items) achieved a high level of reliability α >0.7, while one subscale (IMI_EI, with 2 items) was reliable with α value 0.129. The earlier work of Cho and Kim ( 2015 ) asserted that scores that have a low number of items connected with them, as well as non‐normally distributed data, are likely to have lower reliability.

3.3. Data analysis

First, we analysed whether different demographic factors such as year of study, student achievement, learning environments, university or gender, influenced students' motivation (and corresponding subscales). As a great deal of the data were not normally distributed, non‐parametric tests were run. Mann–Whitney U ‐test was used to examine whether there were statistically significant differences in the dependent variable the two groups (McElduff et al., 2010 ) while Kruskal–Wallis test was used in cases when three and more groups were compared (Cleophas & Zwinderman, 2016 ; Kruskal & Wallis, 1952 ). Post‐hoc tests for multiple comparisons (Ostertagová et al., 2014 ) were additionally run to determine the differences between specific groups.

Second, we have analysed students' impression from the perspectives of advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. Spearman rank‐order correlation was used to determine the parallel correlation of students' perception of positive and negative statements regarding distance learning (Green & Salkind, 2008 ). To gain deeper insights into the students' perception of the learning process, the quantitative data were supplemented with the qualitative data obtained from a semi‐structured debriefing session. In the qualitative phase of the data analyses, students answers were analysed to find recurring themes in the answers. These themes were listed and compared to explore more content‐specific problems related to the change of learning environments and to determine what students' personal benefits and shortcomings of distance learning are. The examples of the students' responses during the debriefing session (induced by open questions) are included in order to provide more clarity on the overall perception and experiences of the distance learning processes.

4.1. Differences in perception of motivation during distance learning

The results of Kruskal–Wallis H tests employed to examine whether there are differences in the level of motivation between students of different years of study are shown in Table 2 . Significant differences among the four groups were evident in respect to motivation overall ( H = 8.660, p = 0.034), with the mean rank of 380.81 for first‐year students, 425.97 for second‐year students, 438.27 for third‐year students and 434.65 for fourth‐year students. The significant results were examined further in terms of post‐hoc tests and pairwise comparisons between groups using the Bonferroni test. Post‐hoc tests showed that first‐year students were significantly less motivated during the learning process than second‐year students ( p = 0.046), third‐year students ( p = 0.013) and fourth‐year students ( p = 0.019).

Analysis of the year of study relatedness to students' motivation

Note : I, first year; II, second year; II, third year; IV, fourth year; χ 2, Chi square.

Abbreviation: df , degree of freedom.

More detailed analysis of the results related to the subscales indicate that fourth‐year students put in significantly less effort during distance learning (IMI_EI) than the younger students (statistically significant difference was evident after posthoc test in relation to I [ p = 0.001], II [ p = 0.020] and III [ p = 0.001] year of study). Furthermore, for first‐year students distance learning was less valuable than for the others (the statistically significant difference in subscale IMI_VU between I and III year [ p = 0.018], I and IV [ p = 0.012] and marginal differences between I and II [ p = 0.062]). Distance learning was also less interesting (IMI_IE) to first‐year students than to older students (the statistically significant differences in subscale between I and III [ p = 0.040], I and II [ p = 0.031] and between I and IV [ p = 0.000]).

Table 3 introduces the results of Kruskal–Wallis H tests which showed that there were no statistically significant differences of students' academic achievement (grade point average) ( H = 3.231, p = 0.357) on the perception of motivation. The four groups differed significantly on the subscale IMI_EI ( H = 15.628, p = 0.001) and subscale IMI_IE ( H = 10.967, p = 0.012). No significant differences between the four groups were observed for IMI_VU subscale.

Analysis of the grade point average relatedness to students' motivation

Note : A is in interval (9, 10); B is in interval (8, 9); C is in interval (7, 8); D is in interval (6, 7).

The significant result was further examined in terms of post‐hoc tests and pairwise comparisons between groups using the Bonferroni test. The students with high academic achievement (Group A) invested more effort than the other students (from B, C and D groups). This was confirmed by significant differences in subscale IMI_IE between Groups D and A ( p = 0.006), Groups C and A ( p = 0.001) and Groups B and A ( p = 0.017). Furthermore, for IMI_IE subscale, a significant difference was found between Groups A and C ( p = 0.004), Groups A and D ( p = 0.059) and Groups B and C ( p = 0.020). Such results indicate that the students with high academic achievement (Group A) put much more effort into distance learning than students with lower grade point average (Groups B, C and D). However, the perception of enjoyment and interest were perceived in the opposite order. Namely, the group with lower academic achievements (Group D) enjoyed distance learning more than the students from Groups C, B and A.

The results of Kruskal–Wallis H tests examining the influence of different learning environment (Traditional, Online and Blended) on motivation during distance learning are shown in Table 4 . Significant differences were observed between the three groups ( H = 11.313, p = 0.003). The three groups differed significantly on the Value subscale ( H = 9.909, p = 0.007) and Interest subscale ( H = 9.224, p = 0.010). No significant differences between the three groups were observed for subscale Effort.

Analysis of learning environment relatedness to students' motivation

Note : χ 2, Chi square.

In order to determine differences between the groups we used post‐hoc tests and pairwise comparisons between the groups. The students from the Traditional group (Mean rank = 401.47) were significantly less motivated ( p = 0.001) during learning than the students form the Online group (Mean rank = 471.72).

Table 5 illustrates that there are no statistically significant differences between the students coming from the two Universities regarding the overall motivation ( p = 0.366). However, there are statistically significant differences on the motivational subscale Effort/Importance (IMI_EI). Students from UM (Mean rank = 470.06) put more effort in distance learning ( Z = −3.732, p < 0.001) compared to the students from the UNS (Mean rank = 424.71).

University relatedness to students' motivation

Abbreviations: UNS, University of Novi Sad; UM, University Metropolitan.

Mann–Whitney U tests were used to determine whether the gender is related to students' motivation during distance learning at the time of the pandemic. The results show no significant differences between genders regarding the motivation and its subscales.

4.2. Analysis of positive and negative aspects of distance learning

Table 6 presents students' impressions of distance learning realized during the pandemic. The students selected 2537 (or 68%) negative answers and 1206 (or 32%) answers from the positive aspects of distance learning.

The most frequent chosen positive aspects were ‘It was much easier to attend distance learning classes than to go to college’ (251 answers, 30%) and ‘I think distance learning activity could help me better to pass the exams’ (245 answers or 29%). The least selected statement from the positive aspect was ‘I got more benefits than if I went to college’ (131 answers or 16%) (Table 6 ). The additional analysis of students' responses shows the difference between the attitudes of younger and older students (Figure 1 ). Namely, older students are more likely to have a positive attitude regarding changed learning environments. On the other hand, younger students are more likely to agree with negative items and point to a greater extent: dissatisfaction with distance learning, reduced motivation, lack of concentration and various difficulties. These results indicate that younger students are most threatened when it comes to developing motivation to learn and may need more support than older students when classrooms are shifted to the Internet and distance learning.

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Distribution of students' impressions about distance learning according to the study year [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com ]

By analysing students' answers during the debriefing session (induced by open questions) we found that the primary benefits of distance learning perceived by students were: (a) being able to work according to their own schedule in relaxed environment; (b) being able to re‐watch the lecture if needed; (c) feeling free to ask question and interact with teachers and finally, (d) saving travel time (students did not have to travel from campus to university and back). We are presenting several students' responses:

Flexibility, I could learn according to my own schedules in cosy atmosphere of my room with coffee. (Student 247)

The pressure is less, we are more relaxed and we can always return the recording on the part we did not understand. (Student 578)

I was freer to ask a question during the lecture. (Student 471)

The main benefit of distance learning was saving travel time and reduced costs (for travel, accommodation and food). (Student 36)

The most frequent chosen negative aspects were ‘I missed the “living word”’ (360 answers or 43%), ‘I missed my colleagues’ (319 answers or 38%), ‘I missed going to the university campus’ (293 answers or 35%), and ‘Distance learning did not hold my attention at all’ (288 answers or 35%). Only 15% of the students (126) agreed that ‘Distance learning was boring’, and only 18% (146 of the students) exemplified that ‘Distance learning was very difficult for me’ (Table 6 ).

Analysing the students' answers during the debriefing session (induced by open questions) we found that the students were not satisfied with distance learning as they felt the lack of motivation, focus and being able to concentrate on the lecture. This rapid change was unexpected and left students anxious. Furthermore, some students pointed out more content‐specific problems related to mathematics learning difficulties during distance learning. On the other hand, the students often point issues related to the social aspect and the socio‐emotional aspect of learning, like as: (a) missing socialization and live interaction, (b) missing sharing experiences and information from peers and (c) enjoying social interaction during the coffee break. Finally, the students emphasize various technological issues that can hinder learning like a poor internet connection, and a low sound and video quality. This becomes clearer when we analyse some of the students' comments during debriefing:

Distance learning didn't keep my attention. I quickly lost the focus, because while at home I couldn't feel like I'm in a lecture. (Student 126)

It was very difficult to follow maths lectures online, as it was not like an English language lesson, for example, where you could just listen and talk. (Student 241)

I missed socialization and live interaction, sharing experiences and information with my colleagues as well as coffee breaks with them. (Student 502)

It was hard to follow all courses because the change was very fast and unexpected. I felt anxious and could not focus on studying. (Student 67)

I had technical problems, often a poor internet network, a low sound and video quality, which implied difficult communication. (Student 611)

4.3. Correlation coefficient of positive and negative aspects of distance learning

A Spearman's rank‐order correlation was run to determine the relationship between the items on the positive and negative aspects distance learning. The correlation table is given in Table 7 .

Spearman's rank‐order correlations ( N = 832)

Note : *Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level ( p < 0.05). **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level ( p < 0.01) (codes are described in previous table).

Abbreviations: ns = not significant; Neg, negative aspect; Pos, positive aspect.

The test of significance indicated that there was a strong correlation among almost all items of the questionnaire (116 of 120 correlations). All positive aspects were in a strong positive correlation with p < 0.01. The strongest correlation was between ‘It is much easier to attend such organized classes than to go to college’ and ‘Distance learning suits me better than traditional teaching’ (Pos_2 and Pos_3 aspects r s (832) = 0.60, p < 0.01).

The negative aspects were also positively correlated. The strongest relationship was between ‘I missed my colleagues’ and ‘I missed going to the university campus’. (Neg_4 and Neg_5 aspects r s (832) = 0.59, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the most of positive and negative aspects were in negative correlations. This relationship was expected, as the more students agreed with the positive aspects, the less they appreciated the negative aspects. Finally, several items were not in statistically significant correlations (e.g., Pos_4 and Neg_4, 5 and 7, as shown Table 7 ).

5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The findings of this study (both qualitative and quantitative) raise a number of important discussion points. With respect to the first research topic, while previous studies found a strong negative correlation between the impact of the pandemic on learning and higher education students' attitudes Gonçalves et al. ( 2020 ), our study indicates the difference between different demographic characteristics. First, regarding the academic year, our analysis showed that first‐year students were significantly less motivated during the learning process than older students. In addition, they saw distance learning as less valuable and less interesting than the others. On the other hand, the oldest students (fourth‐year students) made significantly less effort during distance learning than younger students did. While some specific researches show that younger students had more positive attitudes towards communication skills learning compering with older students (Cleland et al., 2005 ) which are opposite compering with our results. In our case, there are several reasons for these results. Compared to younger students, older students are quite ‘coordinated’. They have experience in studying, established learning goals, and know what is expected from them in terms of learning outcomes. First‐year students are at the beginning of a new educational cycle and one semester was not enough for them to make the transition from the secondary school context, and develop all the skills needed for learning in higher education. They have to put in more effort to keep up with the learning process. Recognize the importance of the first year and how a student begins their college experience may be the best predictor of how their college experience will end (Maloney & Kim, 2020 ). These results indicate that younger students are most threatened when it comes to developing motivation to learn and may need more support than older students when classrooms are shifted to the Internet and distance learning. Teachers should have more understanding (Makarova, 2021 ), help them cope with learning anxieties (Sharma & Sarkar, 2020 ), encourage their self‐belief and give them extra support during the learning process. In this way, a blended learning environment can reduce students' increased effort and provide for a less stressful learning process (Sharma & Sarkar, 2020 ). Some of the five categories of ARCS‐V motivation models that can occur teaching‐rich and motivating learning events that are appropriate for a given environment (Keller, 2016 ).

Second, regarding the variance of academic performance of the students, the results of the research indicate that students with a higher academic performance have put in more effort than other students. However, students with lower academic performance experience more pleasure and interest than other students.

Third, with respect to investigating the influence of different learning environments (traditional, online and blended) on motivation, the research results indicate the importance of previous online learning experiences. We found out that students who attended a traditional learning were significantly less motivated than students who had previously attended online learning. Finally, our research results indicate that there are no differences with respect to the various institution, as well as gender.

With regard to the second research question, the results of the correlation analysis indicate a positive relationship between all positive aspects of learning environments. Moreover, perceptions of the negative aspects were interdependent. However, the relation between the two distinct sets of characteristics was strongly negative, rather than disconnected. These results correspond to the insights of the students who concluded that the primary advantage of distance learning was that they could: (a) work according to their own schedule in a relaxed environment; (b) look at the lecture again if necessary; (c) feel free to ask questions and communicate with teachers and finally, (d) save travel time. Still, students clearly indicate the negative consequences: (a) they felt the lack of motivation and focus; (b) anxiety; (c) pointing out difficulties with mathematics learning and (d) missing out on socialization and socio‐emotional aspect of learning. These results are in line with the earlier research into the topic by Chandra ( 2020 ), who found several negative consequences of the pandemic: students experienced academic stress, fear of failure, feelings of boredom and depressive thoughts that distracted students from academic and creative activities. Some similar research (Hassan et al., 2021 ) indicates the perception of increased academic workload during distance learning (virtual studies), which for example, our students did not point out, while the improvement of technical support during the COVID‐19 pandemic is a common observation. In our study, students highlight the lack of interaction and live communication as one of the biggest shortcomings of distance learning during a pandemic, while Coman et al. ( 2020 ) showed that Romanian students rank this shortcoming the lowest.

Three limitations of this study must be taken into account. First, the analysis and conclusions presented here are based on the students' perception (self‐reporting). The next step would be, as suggested by Martens et al. ( 2007 ), to further investigate students' behaviour and self‐regulation with respect to important variables of intrinsic motivation and perception of advantages and disadvantages of the learning environment. Second, it is important to recognize that the research reported here has been carried out in the context of the educational system that follows a more traditional approach to learning, small percent (less than 10%) of Serbian students had experiences with distance learning before the pandemic. Although the state of emergency shifted classrooms to the Internet and distance learning, it did not change the approach to the whole educational process. Students in these environments still had to work individually, without following the principles of more experiential and constructivist approach to learning (e.g., authenticity, reflection or collaboration). And third, this study explores students' experiences in the case of forced distance learning, it was not a voluntary and chosen way of learning (for most).

ETHICAL APPROVAL

Ethical approval for this study was granted by the Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad and University Metropolitan Belgrade.

PEER REVIEW

The peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1111/jcal.12613 .

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors wish to express their gratitude to the referees, whose valuable remarks and comments much improved the final version of the paper.

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Mini review article, distance learning in higher education during covid-19.

1 Department of Pedagogy of Higher Education, Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan, Russia
2 Department of Jurisprudence, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow, Russia
3 Department of English for Professional Communication, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
4 Department of Foreign Languages, RUDN University, Moscow, Russia
5 Department of Medical and Social Assessment, Emergency, and Ambulatory Therapy, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia

COVID-19’s pandemic has hastened the expansion of online learning across all levels of education. Countries have pushed to expand their use of distant education and make it mandatory in view of the danger of being unable to resume face-to-face education. The most frequently reported disadvantages are technological challenges and the resulting inability to open the system. Prior to the pandemic, interest in distance learning was burgeoning, as it was a unique style of instruction. The mini-review aims to ascertain students’ attitudes about distant learning during COVID-19. To accomplish the objective, articles were retrieved from the ERIC database. We utilize the search phrases “Distance learning” AND “University” AND “COVID.” We compiled a list of 139 articles. We chose papers with “full text” and “peer reviewed only” sections. Following the exclusion, 58 articles persisted. Then, using content analysis, publications relating to students’ perspectives on distance learning were identified. There were 27 articles in the final list. Students’ perspectives on distant education are classified into four categories: perception and attitudes, advantages of distance learning, disadvantages of distance learning, and challenges for distance learning. In all studies, due of pandemic constraints, online data gathering methods were selected. Surveys and questionnaires were utilized as data collection tools. When students are asked to compare face-to-face and online learning techniques, they assert that online learning has the potential to compensate for any limitations caused by pandemic conditions. Students’ perspectives and degrees of satisfaction range widely, from good to negative. Distance learning is advantageous since it allows for learning at any time and from any location. Distance education benefits both accomplishment and learning. Staying at home is safer and less stressful for students during pandemics. Distance education contributes to a variety of physical and psychological health concerns, including fear, anxiety, stress, and attention problems. Many schools lack enough infrastructure as a result of the pandemic’s rapid transition to online schooling. Future researchers can study what kind of online education methods could be used to eliminate student concerns.

Introduction

The pandemic of COVID-19 has accelerated the spread of online learning at all stages of education, from kindergarten to higher education. Prior to the epidemic, several colleges offered online education. However, as a result of the epidemic, several governments discontinued face-to-face schooling in favor of compulsory distance education.

The COVID-19 problem had a detrimental effect on the world’s educational system. As a result, educational institutions around the world developed a new technique for delivering instructional programs ( Graham et al., 2020 ; Akhmadieva et al., 2021 ; Gaba et al., 2021 ; Insorio and Macandog, 2022 ; Tal et al., 2022 ). Distance education has been the sole choice in the majority of countries throughout this period, and these countries have sought to increase their use of distance education and make it mandatory in light of the risk of not being able to restart face-to-face schooling ( Falode et al., 2020 ; Gonçalves et al., 2020 ; Tugun et al., 2020 ; Altun et al., 2021 ; Valeeva and Kalimullin, 2021 ; Zagkos et al., 2022 ).

What Is Distance Learning

Britannica defines distance learning as “form of education in which the main elements include physical separation of teachers and students during instruction and the use of various technologies to facilitate student-teacher and student-student communication” ( Simonson and Berg, 2016 ). The subject of distant learning has been studied extensively in the fields of pedagogics and psychology for quite some time ( Palatovska et al., 2021 ).

The primary distinction is that early in the history of distant education, the majority of interactions between professors and students were asynchronous. With the advent of the Internet, synchronous work prospects expanded to include anything from chat rooms to videoconferencing services. Additionally, asynchronous material exchange was substantially relocated to digital settings and communication channels ( Virtič et al., 2021 ).

Distance learning is a fundamentally different way to communication as well as a different learning framework. An instructor may not meet with pupils in live broadcasts at all in distance learning, but merely follow them in a chat if required ( Bozkurt and Sharma, 2020 ). Audio podcasts, films, numerous simulators, and online quizzes are just a few of the technological tools available for distance learning. The major aspect of distance learning, on the other hand, is the detailed tracking of a student’s performance, which helps to develop his or her own trajectory. While online learning attempts to replicate classroom learning methods, distant learning employs a computer game format, with new levels available only after the previous ones have been completed ( Bakhov et al., 2021 ).

In recent years, increased attention has been placed on eLearning in educational institutions because to the numerous benefits that have been discovered via study. These advantages include the absence of physical and temporal limits, the ease of accessing material and scheduling flexibility, as well as the cost-effectiveness of the solution. A number of other studies have demonstrated that eLearning is beneficial to both student gains and student performance. However, in order to achieve the optimum results from eLearning, students must be actively participating in the learning process — a notion that is commonly referred to as active learning — throughout the whole process ( Aldossary, 2021 ; Altun et al., 2021 ).

The most commonly mentioned negatives include technological difficulties and the inability to open the system as a result, low teaching quality, inability to teach applicable disciplines, and a lack of courses, contact, communication, and internet ( Altun et al., 2021 ). Also, misuse of technology, adaptation of successful technology-based training to effective teaching methods, and bad practices in managing the assessment and evaluation process of learning are all downsides of distance learning ( Debeş, 2021 ).

Distance Learning in a Pandemic Context

The epidemic forced schools, colleges, and institutions throughout the world to close their doors so that students might practice social isolation ( Toquero, 2020 ). Prior to the pandemic, demand for distance learning was nascent, as it was a novel mode of education, the benefits and quality of which were difficult to judge due to a dearth of statistics. But, in 2020, humanity faced a coronavirus pandemic, which accelerated the shift to distant learning to the point that it became the only viable mode of education and communication ( Viktoria and Aida, 2020 ). Due to the advancements in digital technology, educators and lecturers have been obliged to use E-learning platforms ( Benadla and Hadji, 2021 ).

In remote education settings for higher education, activities are often divided into synchronous course sessions and asynchronous activities and tasks. In synchronous courses, learners participate in interactive and targeted experiences that help them develop a fundamental grasp of technology-enhanced education, course design, and successful online instruction. Asynchronous activities and tasks, on the other hand, include tests, group work assignments, group discussion, feedback, and projects. Additionally, asynchronous activities and tasks are carried out via interactive video-based activities, facilitator meetings, live webinars, and keynote speakers ( Debeş, 2021 ).

According to Lamanauskas and Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė (2021) , ICT should be attractive for learners. Additionally, student satisfaction with ODL has a statistically significant effect on their future choices for online learning ( Virtič et al., 2021 ). According to Avsheniuk et al. (2021) , the majority of research is undertaken to categorize students’ views and attitudes about online learning, and studies examining students’ perspectives of online learning during the COVID-19 epidemic are uncommon and few. There is presently a dearth of research on the impact on students when schools are forced to close abruptly and indefinitely and transition to online learning communities ( Unger and Meiran, 2020 ). So that, the mini-review is aimed to examining the students’ views on using distance learning during COVID-19.

In order to perform the aim, the articles were searched through ERIC database. We use “Distance learning” AND “University” AND “COVID” as search terms. We obtained 139 articles. We selected “full text” and “Peer reviewed only” articles. After the exclusion, 58 articles endured. Then content analyses were used to determine articles related to students’ voices about distance learning. In the final list, there were 27 articles ( Table 1 ).

Table 1. Countries and data collection tools.

In the study, a qualitative approach and content analyses were preferred. Firstly, the findings related to students’ attitudes and opinions on distance learning were determined. The research team read selected sections independently. Researchers have come to a consensus on the themes of perception and attitudes, advantages of distance learning, disadvantages of distance learning, and challenges for distance learning. It was decided which study would be included in which theme/s. Finally, the findings were synthesized under themes.

Only 3 studies ( Lassoued et al., 2020 ; Viktoria and Aida, 2020 ; Todri et al., 2021 ) were conducted to cover more than one country. Other studies include only one country. Surveys and questionnaires were mostly used as measurement tools in the study. Due to pandemic restrictions, online data collection approaches were preferred in the data collection process.

Students’ views on distance learning are grouped under four themes. These themes are perception and attitudes, advantages of distance learning, disadvantages of distance learning, and challenges for distance learning.

Perception and Attitudes Toward Distance Learning

Students’ attitudes toward distance learning differ according to the studies. In some studies ( Mathew and Chung, 2020 ; Avsheniuk et al., 2021 ), it is stated that especially the students’ attitudes are positive, while in some studies ( Bozavlı, 2021 ; Yurdal et al., 2021 ) it is clearly stated that their attitudes are negative. In addition, there are also studies ( Akcil and Bastas, 2021 ) that indicate that students’ attitudes are at a moderate level. The transition to distance learning has been a source of anxiety for some students ( Unger and Meiran, 2020 ).

When the students’ satisfaction levels are analyzed, it is obvious from the research ( Gonçalves et al., 2020 ; Avsheniuk et al., 2021 ; Bakhov et al., 2021 ; Glebov et al., 2021 ; Todri et al., 2021 ) that the students’ satisfaction levels are high. In some studies, it is pronounced that the general satisfaction level of the participants is moderate ( Viktoria and Aida, 2020 ; Aldossary, 2021 ; Didenko et al., 2021 ) and low ( Taşkaya, 2021 ).

When students compare face-to-face and online learning methods, they state that online learning has opportunities to compensate for their deficiencies due to the pandemic conditions ( Abrosimova, 2020 ) and but they prefer face-to-face learning ( Gonçalves et al., 2020 ; Kaisar and Chowdhury, 2020 ; Bakhov et al., 2021 ). Distance learning is not sufficiently motivating ( Altun et al., 2021 ; Bozavlı, 2021 ), effective ( Beltekin and Kuyulu, 2020 ; Bozavlı, 2021 ), and does not have a contribution to students’ knowledge ( Taşkaya, 2021 ). Distance education cannot be used in place of face-to-face instruction ( Aldossary, 2021 ; Altun et al., 2021 ).

Advantages of Distance Learning

It is mostly cited advantages that distance learning has a positive effect on achievement and learning ( Gonçalves et al., 2020 ; Lin and Gao, 2020 ; Aldossary, 2021 ; Altun et al., 2021 ; Şahin, 2021 ). In addition, in distance learning, students can have more resources and reuse resources such as re-watching video ( Önöral and Kurtulmus-Yilmaz, 2020 ; Lamanauskas and Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, 2021 ; Martha et al., 2021 ).

Distance learning for the reason any time and everywhere learning ( Adnan and Anwar, 2020 ; Lamanauskas and Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, 2021 ; Todri et al., 2021 ). There is no need to spend money on transportation to and from the institution ( Lamanauskas and Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, 2021 ; Nenakhova, 2021 ). Also, staying at home is safe during pandemics and less stressful for students ( Lamanauskas and Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, 2021 ).

Challenges and Disadvantages of Distance Learning

Distance learning cannot guarantee effective learning, the persistence of learning, or success ( Altun et al., 2021 ; Benadla and Hadji, 2021 ). Students state that they have more works, tasks, and study loads in the distance learning process ( Mathew and Chung, 2020 ; Bakhov et al., 2021 ; Didenko et al., 2021 ; Nenakhova, 2021 ). Group working and socialization difficulties are experienced in distance learning ( Adnan and Anwar, 2020 ; Bozavlı, 2021 ; Lamanauskas and Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, 2021 ). The absence of communication and face-to-face interaction is seen a disadvantage ( Didenko et al., 2021 ; Nenakhova, 2021 ).

It is difficult to keep attention on the computer screen for a long time, so distance-learning negatively affects concentration ( Bakhov et al., 2021 ; Lamanauskas and Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, 2021 ). In addition, distance education prompts some physical and psychological health problems ( Kaisar and Chowdhury, 2020 ; Taşkaya, 2021 ).

Devices and internet connection, technical problems are mainly stated as challenges for distance learning ( Abrosimova, 2020 ; Adnan and Anwar, 2020 ; Mathew and Chung, 2020 ; Bakhov et al., 2021 ; Benadla and Hadji, 2021 ; Didenko et al., 2021 ; Lamanauskas and Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė, 2021 ; Nenakhova, 2021 ; Taşkaya, 2021 ; Şahin, 2021 ). In addition, some students have difficulties in finding a quiet and suitable environment where they can follow distance education courses ( Taşkaya, 2021 ). It is a disadvantage that students have not the knowledge and skills to use the technological tools used in distance education ( Lassoued et al., 2020 ; Bakhov et al., 2021 ; Didenko et al., 2021 ).

The purpose of this study is to ascertain university students’ perceptions about distant education during COVID-19. The study’s findings are intended to give context for developers of distant curriculum and higher education institutions.

According to Toquero (2020) , academic institutions have an increased need to enhance their curricula, and the incorporation of innovative teaching methods and tactics should be a priority. COVID-19’s lockout has shown the reality of higher education’s current state: Progressive universities operating in the twenty-first century did not appear to be prepared to implement digital teaching and learning tools; existing online learning platforms were not universal solutions; teaching staff were not prepared to teach remotely; their understanding of online teaching was sometimes limited to sending handbooks, slides, sample tasks, and assignments to students via email and setting deadlines for submission of completed tasks ( Didenko et al., 2021 ).

It is a key factor that student satisfaction to identify the influencers that emerged in online higher education settings ( Parahoo et al., 2016 ). Also, there was a significant positive relationship between online learning, social presence and satisfaction with online courses ( Stankovska et al., 2021 ). According to the findings, the attitudes and satisfaction levels of the students differ according to the studies and vary in a wide range from positive to negative attitudes.

According to the study’s findings, students responded that while online learning is beneficial for compensating for deficiencies during the pandemic, they would prefer face-to-face education in the future. This is a significant outcome for institutions. It is not desirable for all students to take their courses entirely online. According to Samat et al. (2020) , the one-size-fits-all approach to ODL implementation is inapplicable since it not only impedes the flow of information delivery inside the virtual classroom, but it also has an impact on psychological well-being because users are prone to become disturbed.

In distance learning, students can have more resources and reuse resources such as re-watching videos. So, distance learning has a positive effect on achievement and learning. Alghamdi (2021) stated that over the last two decades, research on the influence of technology on students’ academic success has revealed a range of good and negative impacts and relationships, as well as zero effects and relationship.

The result also shows that distance education prompts some physical and psychological health problems. Due to the difficulty of maintaining focus on a computer screen for an extended period of time, remote education has a detrimental effect on concentration. There is some evidence that students are fearful of online learning in compared to more traditional, or in-person, in-class learning environments, as well as media representations of emergencies ( Müller-Seitz and Macpherson, 2014 ).

Unsatisfactory equipment and internet connection, technical difficulties, and a lack of expertise about remote learning technology are frequently cited as distance learning issues. Due to the pandemic’s quick move to online education, many schools have an insufficient infrastructure. Infrastructure deficiency is more evident in fields that require laboratory work such as engineering ( Andrzej, 2020 ) and medicine ( Yurdal et al., 2021 ).

Conclusion and Recommendation

To sum up, students’ opinions and levels of satisfaction vary significantly, ranging from positive to negative. Distance learning for the reason any time and everywhere learning. Distance learning has a positive effect on achievement and learning. Staying at home is safe during pandemics and less stressful for students. Distance education prompts some physical and psychological health problems such as fear, anxiety, stress, and losing concentration. Due to the pandemic’s quick move to online education, many schools have an insufficient infrastructure. Future researchers can investigate what distance education models can be that will eliminate the complaints of students. Students’ positive attitudes and levels of satisfaction with their distant education programs have an impact on their ability to profit from the program. Consequently, schools wishing to implement distant education should begin by developing a structure, content, and pedagogical approach that would improve the satisfaction of their students. According to the findings of the study, there is no universally applicable magic formula since student satisfaction differs depending on the country, course content, and external factors.

Author Contributions

All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.

This manuscript has been supported by the Kazan Federal University Strategic Academic Leadership Program.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords : ICT, distance learning, COVID-19, higher education, online learning

Citation: Masalimova AR, Khvatova MA, Chikileva LS, Zvyagintseva EP, Stepanova VV and Melnik MV (2022) Distance Learning in Higher Education During Covid-19. Front. Educ. 7:822958. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2022.822958

Received: 26 November 2021; Accepted: 14 February 2022; Published: 03 March 2022.

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Copyright © 2022 Masalimova, Khvatova, Chikileva, Zvyagintseva, Stepanova and Melnik. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Alfiya R. Masalimova, [email protected]

† ORCID: Alfiya R. Masalimova, orcid.org/0000-0003-3711-2527 ; Maria A. Khvatova, orcid.org/0000-0002-2156-8805 ; Lyudmila S. Chikileva, orcid.org/0000-0002-4737-9041 ; Elena P. Zvyagintseva, orcid.org/0000-0001-7078-0805 ; Valentina V. Stepanova, orcid.org/0000-0003-0495-0962 ; Mariya V. Melnik, orcid.org/0000-0001-8800-4628

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The State of E-Learning in Higher Education in the Era of the Pandemic: How do we move Forward?

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Published: 25 January 2021

Online education in the post-COVID era

Barbara B. Lockee 1

Nature Electronics volume 4 , pages 5–6 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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The coronavirus pandemic has forced students and educators across all levels of education to rapidly adapt to online learning. The impact of this — and the developments required to make it work — could permanently change how education is delivered.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to engage in the ubiquitous use of virtual learning. And while online and distance learning has been used before to maintain continuity in education, such as in the aftermath of earthquakes 1 , the scale of the current crisis is unprecedented. Speculation has now also begun about what the lasting effects of this will be and what education may look like in the post-COVID era. For some, an immediate retreat to the traditions of the physical classroom is required. But for others, the forced shift to online education is a moment of change and a time to reimagine how education could be delivered 2 .

Looking back

Online education has traditionally been viewed as an alternative pathway, one that is particularly well suited to adult learners seeking higher education opportunities. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has required educators and students across all levels of education to adapt quickly to virtual courses. (The term ‘emergency remote teaching’ was coined in the early stages of the pandemic to describe the temporary nature of this transition 3 .) In some cases, instruction shifted online, then returned to the physical classroom, and then shifted back online due to further surges in the rate of infection. In other cases, instruction was offered using a combination of remote delivery and face-to-face: that is, students can attend online or in person (referred to as the HyFlex model 4 ). In either case, instructors just had to figure out how to make it work, considering the affordances and constraints of the specific learning environment to create learning experiences that were feasible and effective.

The use of varied delivery modes does, in fact, have a long history in education. Mechanical (and then later electronic) teaching machines have provided individualized learning programmes since the 1950s and the work of B. F. Skinner 5 , who proposed using technology to walk individual learners through carefully designed sequences of instruction with immediate feedback indicating the accuracy of their response. Skinner’s notions formed the first formalized representations of programmed learning, or ‘designed’ learning experiences. Then, in the 1960s, Fred Keller developed a personalized system of instruction 6 , in which students first read assigned course materials on their own, followed by one-on-one assessment sessions with a tutor, gaining permission to move ahead only after demonstrating mastery of the instructional material. Occasional class meetings were held to discuss concepts, answer questions and provide opportunities for social interaction. A personalized system of instruction was designed on the premise that initial engagement with content could be done independently, then discussed and applied in the social context of a classroom.

These predecessors to contemporary online education leveraged key principles of instructional design — the systematic process of applying psychological principles of human learning to the creation of effective instructional solutions — to consider which methods (and their corresponding learning environments) would effectively engage students to attain the targeted learning outcomes. In other words, they considered what choices about the planning and implementation of the learning experience can lead to student success. Such early educational innovations laid the groundwork for contemporary virtual learning, which itself incorporates a variety of instructional approaches and combinations of delivery modes.

Online learning and the pandemic

Fast forward to 2020, and various further educational innovations have occurred to make the universal adoption of remote learning a possibility. One key challenge is access. Here, extensive problems remain, including the lack of Internet connectivity in some locations, especially rural ones, and the competing needs among family members for the use of home technology. However, creative solutions have emerged to provide students and families with the facilities and resources needed to engage in and successfully complete coursework 7 . For example, school buses have been used to provide mobile hotspots, and class packets have been sent by mail and instructional presentations aired on local public broadcasting stations. The year 2020 has also seen increased availability and adoption of electronic resources and activities that can now be integrated into online learning experiences. Synchronous online conferencing systems, such as Zoom and Google Meet, have allowed experts from anywhere in the world to join online classrooms 8 and have allowed presentations to be recorded for individual learners to watch at a time most convenient for them. Furthermore, the importance of hands-on, experiential learning has led to innovations such as virtual field trips and virtual labs 9 . A capacity to serve learners of all ages has thus now been effectively established, and the next generation of online education can move from an enterprise that largely serves adult learners and higher education to one that increasingly serves younger learners, in primary and secondary education and from ages 5 to 18.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also likely to have a lasting effect on lesson design. The constraints of the pandemic provided an opportunity for educators to consider new strategies to teach targeted concepts. Though rethinking of instructional approaches was forced and hurried, the experience has served as a rare chance to reconsider strategies that best facilitate learning within the affordances and constraints of the online context. In particular, greater variance in teaching and learning activities will continue to question the importance of ‘seat time’ as the standard on which educational credits are based 10 — lengthy Zoom sessions are seldom instructionally necessary and are not aligned with the psychological principles of how humans learn. Interaction is important for learning but forced interactions among students for the sake of interaction is neither motivating nor beneficial.

While the blurring of the lines between traditional and distance education has been noted for several decades 11 , the pandemic has quickly advanced the erasure of these boundaries. Less single mode, more multi-mode (and thus more educator choices) is becoming the norm due to enhanced infrastructure and developed skill sets that allow people to move across different delivery systems 12 . The well-established best practices of hybrid or blended teaching and learning 13 have served as a guide for new combinations of instructional delivery that have developed in response to the shift to virtual learning. The use of multiple delivery modes is likely to remain, and will be a feature employed with learners of all ages 14 , 15 . Future iterations of online education will no longer be bound to the traditions of single teaching modes, as educators can support pedagogical approaches from a menu of instructional delivery options, a mix that has been supported by previous generations of online educators 16 .

Also significant are the changes to how learning outcomes are determined in online settings. Many educators have altered the ways in which student achievement is measured, eliminating assignments and changing assessment strategies altogether 17 . Such alterations include determining learning through strategies that leverage the online delivery mode, such as interactive discussions, student-led teaching and the use of games to increase motivation and attention. Specific changes that are likely to continue include flexible or extended deadlines for assignment completion 18 , more student choice regarding measures of learning, and more authentic experiences that involve the meaningful application of newly learned skills and knowledge 19 , for example, team-based projects that involve multiple creative and social media tools in support of collaborative problem solving.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, technological and administrative systems for implementing online learning, and the infrastructure that supports its access and delivery, had to adapt quickly. While access remains a significant issue for many, extensive resources have been allocated and processes developed to connect learners with course activities and materials, to facilitate communication between instructors and students, and to manage the administration of online learning. Paths for greater access and opportunities to online education have now been forged, and there is a clear route for the next generation of adopters of online education.

Before the pandemic, the primary purpose of distance and online education was providing access to instruction for those otherwise unable to participate in a traditional, place-based academic programme. As its purpose has shifted to supporting continuity of instruction, its audience, as well as the wider learning ecosystem, has changed. It will be interesting to see which aspects of emergency remote teaching remain in the next generation of education, when the threat of COVID-19 is no longer a factor. But online education will undoubtedly find new audiences. And the flexibility and learning possibilities that have emerged from necessity are likely to shift the expectations of students and educators, diminishing further the line between classroom-based instruction and virtual learning.

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Student voices

Student perspectives: the pros and cons of distance learning

West contra costa students reflect on their experiences with distance learning., karina mascorro, david sanchez, valeria echeverria & ronishlla maharaj, june 3, 2020, 39 comments.

Like students throughout California, students in the West Contra Costa Unified school district headquartered in Richmond have been grappling with distance learning instituted in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It is possible or even likely that distance learning will be a prominent part of the school landscape this fall as well. With that in mind, we we are bringing you these students’ reflections on their experiences with distance learning and being out of school generally — what worked and what didn’t. Friday is officially the last day of school in the district, but some of these interviews were conducted earlier this semester. Students’ remarks have been edited in some instances for clarity.

Nayeli Mercado, 15, sophomore, Richmond High

Before distance learning, my mental health was never great, but it was controllable. Although, once quarantine started, where we don’t go out, I feel way more mentally exhausted. Along with that, I’ve been really emotional. I get really sad over little things or angry at things I shouldn’t get angry about. I used to complain about school a lot but I kind of miss it now. I miss my friends, teachers, attending class. I miss school in general.

Alizei De Leon, 15, sophomore, Middle College High

I have about the same amount of homework, or maybe a little less since some teachers are trying to make this easier. I also don’t have to study as much for tests anymore since some teachers have canceled tests for the rest of the year…I spend about three to four hours on homework per day, unless I’ve already finished all my work that week. I’m getting through my classes, but I know that I will forget most of this information throughout the summer.

Veronica Contreras, 16, sophomore, De Anza High

What I miss is the support that school actually gives. The way distance learning is set up at De Anza is we have two Zoom classes every day in which they assign work that is due a week later. On Thursday, we have one class and on Fridays, the Zoom classes are just clubs or extracurriculars that want to have a meeting. I personally feel that I am not learning in these Zoom classes.

Irene Kou, 15, sophomore, De Anza High

It feels like there’s more pressure to want to stay silent and even if you do ask for help, most questions are not fully answered due to the lack of the in-person and hands-on experience.

Katherine Henriquez, 19, senior, Richmond High

I feel that I’m not getting as much work done and have fewer resources around me. It makes me feel more stressed because teachers aren’t there and you have to wait for their response which might take days because they have other students to respond to as well… I also miss seeing my friends and meeting new people at school.

Edwin Garcia, 17, senior, Richmond High

In the midst of all this chaos and struggle, it’s been very hard to stay motivated to do work and keep up with new assignments…Covid-19 also changed the process of enrolling in college as I’m not able to go to the campus for tours or if I need help I can’t ask my teachers. Additionally, financially college has also become more frightening because of the financial crisis that’s spreading across the world. For now, I’m staying calm but the effects of quarantine are beginning to take a toll on my mental health.

Ricardo Castillo Fierro, 17, senior, Richmond High

Every day, I feel less motivated to do my work. At first, when this distance learning started. I thought the work was going to be easier. Then, as time passed everything just fell apart. I’m behind in all of my classes and it’s nearly impossible to catch up. I can’t do the work on my own. I want to learn with my classmates. Distance learning changed a lot of things for me. I wasn’t able to spend time with my friends and my last year of high school wasn’t what I expected at all…It’s one of the reasons why I lost motivation in school because we aren’t going to be able to graduate on stage.

Yvette Garcia, 18, senior, Richmond High

I lost a part-time job due to the virus. I would work around 24-28 hours a week. I would contribute to my family’s expenses by giving $120 a month for the electricity bill in order to help my family. Not being able to help with the bills makes me feel useless because I know my family needs that extra help…I also just miss being out in public with friends and doing outside activities (and) how it could take my mind off of things and just let me relax a little and enjoy the way things used to be.

Yashika Joshi, 17, senior, Aspire College Prep Academy

Distance learning has been difficult. It’s been hard to manage, teaching yourself through assignments…I try to do my work when everybody is asleep at night. If I was at school, I would’ve learned much more due to a teacher paying more attention. Teachers are assigning work on a daily basis, with 45 minutes to hour-long assignments for each class, all due at the end of the week. The workload has increased a lot. Some teachers have reached out (checked in) but not often.

Dana Reyes, 18, senior, Middle College High

I am taking both college and high school classes. My classes are all being taught virtually, through email, or through Google Classroom. I have pushed my self determination to the max and I’m experiencing something very strange. I am still receiving the content but now I have to work twice as hard to understand the material. I sometimes get discouraged and unmotivated but I still try my best to finish early even though teachers and staff have been very flexible and understanding with due dates.

Mekayla Saechao, 16, junior, Richmond High

Distance learning for me so far has been difficult but manageable. Most of my classes consist of completing work that is posted on Google Classroom with a Zoom meeting every other week. I don’t believe I’m learning as much as I would have in school because I’m not getting a lesson from my teachers every day. My teachers have helped a lot by answering questions about assignments quickly…To tell you the truth it is a lot to manage since I’m not physically at school working with my classmates and teachers. But being at home in my comfort zone has helped me become more organized with my work.

Jennifer Diaz Lopez, 18, senior, Richmond High

I have been overwhelmed with the amount of work that I receive, which has changed ever since the pandemic began. Most of my classes are being taught through videos. The majority of my teachers upload videos in which they explain the week’s assignments, while other teachers upload files and text through Remind . My teachers have only reached out when I ask for extensions. I honestly have not learned anything since classes went virtual, because I’m a student that needs to interact and engage with physical activities.

Olinda Raquel Figueredo Orellana, 14, freshman, Kennedy High

It’s been really stressful because most people just want this whole thing to be over and I’m one of them but overall I just feel like it’s not going to happen since so many people still go out. Freshman year wasn’t what I expected because of the whole social distancing. I mean it kind of ruined the high school experience.

Monishlla Maharaj, 18, senior, Richmond High

Although I have assignments from almost all of my classes every day, almost back to back, I always feel like I can do the work whenever I want to… It’s like fighting with my brain daily to do the work or to not do the work. As much as I wouldn’t want to do online learning, I know it benefits everyone by preventing them from getting sick from the virus.

Sarahi Yupit, 16, sophomore, Richmond High

It is hard to concentrate at home during distance learning because I don’t feel motivated to do the work since there is nobody my age whereas at school I feel motivated..it seems like it’s easier to do the tasks and stay on task. There are teachers who teach the actual material. They also motivate you to do your best.

Niya Mason, 16, sophomore, Richmond High

At school, I feel like I was actually learning. But for distance learning, it feels like I am not learning to my full potential. The work definitely keeps me on my toes but I don’t feel like I’m learning. When I’m physically at school, it’s different since I can ask questions, learn more about the subject and be there in person. However, it just seems like, in online learning, teachers are constantly pushing work. I’m not learning because I am constantly struggling to turn the assignments in on time.”

Karina Mascorro , David Sanchez, Valeria Echeverria and Ronishlla Maharaj are students at Richmond High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. They’re staff writers of the West Contra Costa Student Reporting Project.

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Catter Lino 3 years ago 3 years ago

Thank you all so much for letting me know I’m not the only person feeling stressed about all this studying at home.

jonathan 3 years ago 3 years ago

Distance learning has been hard because it’s hard to concentrate and get distracted, and I feel like we don’t learn better than we did before.

trinity avalos 3 years ago 3 years ago

Dear Nayeli Mercado, I know how you feel about your mental health and problem. I also will get emotional and angry for the Smallest thing. I also used to hate school but now I miss it.

annamarie 3 years ago 3 years ago

I feel the same way.

Vivi 3 years ago 3 years ago

I do virtual learning but I am in 5th grade and I am struggling with stress and friends and life is just hard. I am doing an opinion writing and it is called, "Should Schools Always Have A Virtual Option" and I think not. I am personally someone that loves in person but I put pretty much told all of my feeling to my teacher so now I don't want to change teachers … Read More

I do virtual learning but I am in 5th grade and I am struggling with stress and friends and life is just hard. I am doing an opinion writing and it is called, “Should Schools Always Have A Virtual Option” and I think not. I am personally someone that loves in person but I put pretty much told all of my feeling to my teacher so now I don’t want to change teachers just to be in person. I feel like I wanna crawl in a hole and die. I have always had this tough girl image and now I feel like I let myself down. I just have 2 swim practices left. I have the mock meet and an award and fun day for the last two swim practices. Softball starts in the beginning of May and I forgot when running club starts.

That is not why I am stressed it is all of the stupid school work and how I feel like I am not learning as much as everybody else. My teacher says I am really smart and my knowledge will take me places and will impress people the whole way and I know that deep down but when I am thinking bad thoughts I always doubt it’s true. She says I am one of the most hard working students she has ever met and she also said that she does not say that to everyone so I do believe I just feel like my life is falling apart right and I am doing nothing to stop when really I am doing as much as I can.

It is nice to feel that I am not alone and if you are reading this comment and you are like me, just know, you are not alone in this battle.

Naymi 3 years ago 3 years ago

For my school, the work is extra hard than on online learning and when we chose the elective, I asked for normal classes and they gave me advanced. I didn’t believe they just switched my classes and they changed my actual classes and me and my mother complained to them to change it but they did not. I don’t know why but it is very infuriating how they did nothing after we complained multiple times to the school.

Suzette Cuseo 3 years ago 3 years ago

These comments from students are very relevant. I teach adult ESL students and they will be interested in reviewing the opinions of younger students. Thank you for your input.

Sophia 3 years ago 3 years ago

I hate distance learning. Ever since it started I havent been motivated to do my work or even pay attention because as teachers constantly remind us... "the class is recorded and the slides are on google classroom". Like why even pay attention much less study or take notes when you have all the resources you need. It was awful and stressful trying to get work done when I had access to the internet. I would … Read More

I hate distance learning. Ever since it started I havent been motivated to do my work or even pay attention because as teachers constantly remind us… “the class is recorded and the slides are on google classroom”. Like why even pay attention much less study or take notes when you have all the resources you need.

It was awful and stressful trying to get work done when I had access to the internet. I would always get distracted and then get behind. also it took a huge toll on my mental health. I stopped sleeping regularly, was diagnosed with Social Anxiety (seeing as I was a very outgoing person and wasn’t afraid of people), suffered depression from not being able to converse with friends or even see them, got into some really bad habits and am struggling to get over, got cyber bullied. And all that for me to forget everything I learned the whole year!! Point being Zoom/online learning is destroying metal health, social skills, actual learning, and our sense of normality.

Logan Clarkson 3 years ago 3 years ago

I feel the same as almost all of these. and is everyone else doing this for school?

Rosalyn Parks 3 years ago 3 years ago

Doing school online is tough. Not only is it hard for me to find motivation to even start my work, the zoom classes are tiring and I can’t see my friends. I’m getting restless and just want an excuse to get off my computer and do something else, even if I’m in the hospital. I’m sick of online school.

Annabelle Stornetta 4 years ago 4 years ago

I have seven - no scratch that - I have eight classes if I include my advisory class that are from 8:30 am-4:00 pm (Fridays are shorter and go from 10:00-1:00 thankfully). I attend MIT in Vallejo CA and I am a senior this year. I truly dislike having to attend my last year of high school from home on a computer. I have no internet or computer of my own because I can't afford … Read More

I have seven – no scratch that – I have eight classes if I include my advisory class that are from 8:30 am-4:00 pm (Fridays are shorter and go from 10:00-1:00 thankfully). I attend MIT in Vallejo CA and I am a senior this year. I truly dislike having to attend my last year of high school from home on a computer. I have no internet or computer of my own because I can’t afford it at the moment so the school over the last summer was kind enough to give everyone these tiny T-Mobile hot spots and some school computers.

Unfortunately they have many problems like for example the extremely slow connection and nearly all websites are blocked. I have the worst possible luck with technology. (You will likely never meet someone with worse off tech problems than me.) Even my teachers are having a hard time coping with it all. I have never felt more bad for my teachers than I have recently in my entire life. I feel bad for some of the teachers that I don’t even like!

I just hope everything will sort itself out in the near future. But we don’t have to use our cameras which is nice of the school but we did have to change our profile pics to our faces at first then they let it go and we changed them back lol.

It’s a bit difficult to learn while watching a tiny screen but at least we’re learning something. I wish everyone having a hard time good luck and hope you all stay safe. I know that it’s hard now but humankind has gone through worse right, what can’t we do? Just do your best and try to stay positive.

Justina Smith 4 years ago 4 years ago

I completely agree with a lot of the students on this website. Distance Learning is definitely a challenge when you have no motivation in your own home. I tend to find myself very distracted by every little thing in my bedroom, I also tend to procrastinate a lot. Distance learning has its downs but I have been learning at my own pace so it’s stressful in its own ways, just not as much.

Carlos Romero 4 years ago 4 years ago

Distance learning has been a struggle for me these past months since we started it. But if I am being honest it also has helped me understand way more things than I used to do before quarantine. But obviously it has its cons and pros like everything does. But I hope to keep on pushing forward with all the things that are happening right now.

Eloy Robledo 4 years ago 4 years ago

Distance Learning is a struggle for me at most times because I don't get to talk to friends about the assignments. My senior year of high school has not been the great year that I was expecting to go through. I thought I was going to finish my Senior year with happiness and Joy, but I didn't, I got it with boringness and a lot of struggle with assignments that are due the next day … Read More

Distance Learning is a struggle for me at most times because I don’t get to talk to friends about the assignments. My senior year of high school has not been the great year that I was expecting to go through. I thought I was going to finish my Senior year with happiness and Joy, but I didn’t, I got it with boringness and a lot of struggle with assignments that are due the next day or next week. My senior year might be the worst year but I could change that around by making myself motivated and get with friends after school every single day. I am struggling worse than being in regular school in a regular class.

justin santiago 4 years ago 4 years ago

To be honest i kind of like it. I can do things on my own time. One thing i can say is a struggle is just motivation to do the work but overall I’m doing okay. I feel like they should give out less homework considering the whole pandemic and everybody’s personal lives.

teairra 4 years ago 4 years ago

Distance learning, it’s been stressful with trying to get the work turned in on time and trying to actually learn what the teacher is teaching. We have so much work to do and it causes me to have a lot of missing work whereas in school we don’t have so much work to complete at one time.

Emran Parwani 4 years ago 4 years ago

It has been really hard to be in distant learning. Not only are students struggling to find motivation to do work, but teachers to teach their subject through screen. I lack motivation to do a lot of my work since I feel that I’m not learning anything.

Fatima Marentes 4 years ago 4 years ago

I feel that with Distance Learning, there are more cons than pros. I lack motivation to do a lot of my work since I feel that I’m not learning anything. It is also hard to communicate with teachers and students due to learning behind a screen.

Maryam Aljwabra 4 years ago 4 years ago

It has been really hard to be in distant learning. For me it is really hard to stay at home and do the same thing over and over. I like to try new things. When my teachers give me my homework I don’t feel like I am working from all of my heart even though I am doing the homework. Even though I have been in America for four year and since English is new for me it’s hard to keep up with assignments. I miss my friend and my teachers. If I was at school even if the teachers give you a lot of homework you don’t feel like you have too much pressure on yourself but in distancing learning i feel really pressured on all sides.

Genesis Feliciano 4 years ago 4 years ago

I agree with a lot of these student. Specially if you're a senior, distance learning is a big challenge. I feel less motivated everyday since I spend many hours on the computer and phone trying to do homework and attend meetings. It sucks because I spend more time on a screen than with my own family. There is never a break to sit down with them or anything due to the load of work I … Read More

I agree with a lot of these student. Specially if you’re a senior, distance learning is a big challenge. I feel less motivated everyday since I spend many hours on the computer and phone trying to do homework and attend meetings. It sucks because I spend more time on a screen than with my own family. There is never a break to sit down with them or anything due to the load of work I have to do. By the time I am done, I am tired and all I want to do is relax or sleep. This has been really stressful and I do wish teachers could give less homework and more classwork (work to do during class with teachers and classmates). Everything is going down hill for me.

Jada Cooper 4 years ago 4 years ago

I feel a little less motivated but it does give you more family time than you had as usual. The teachers are giving out homework after homework. It is really stressful to keep up with all of my classes – especially when you are a senior and it is the most important year so you have to pass all of your classes to graduate.

Victor Duran 4 years ago 4 years ago

Distance learning is hard for everyone. Not only are students struggling to find motivation to do work, but teachers to teach their subject to an empty screen. School gave us a learning environment – in a sense it forced us to learn what you don’t get while at home.

Ngan Doan 4 years ago 4 years ago

I think I am good at distance learning so far. Teachers try to make the class easier for students, so they do not give too much homework. They also add more attempts for students when they take the tests. However, it is inconvenient when I need help from the teacher. I had to wait so long to get the email back from the teacher or meet at their office hours. Classwork and homework are easy … Read More

I am concerned about college applications. As a senior student, I have many questions about colleges, financial aid, or scholarships. I think it will be better if I am in school. I could work the applications with my counselors. The coronavirus made me SAT cancel so many times. I am not sure I can get the score before the deadline for college application.

Giselle Gomez 4 years ago 4 years ago

Distance learning is something new to me just as it is to every student. We were all used to going to school in person and in just a matter of time, it went to us learning behind a screen. I feel we are so worried about being caught up and doing all the work that we do not get to actually learn something.

Chuong T. 4 years ago 4 years ago

Yes, I agree with all people in here. It is hard to communicate with teachers and friends. We can’t see each other. We cannot sit together and help each other like we are in school. Things that make me feel very frustrated are the lost connection, technology issues, and the district website. It is hard to study and understand a problem because something the screen or speaker is glitching or lagging. We don’t get help in an effective way. It also didn’t help my orals skill and social interaction. Because of the distance learning, we study at home and don’t go outside much so it didn’t improve much my communication and social skills. Also it gives us less motivation because it makes us very bored and does not give us an interest in every lesson.

Hiwa Fatanum 4 years ago 4 years ago

I agree with Niya's opinion. When I was at school, there were resources available to help when I was in need. There were tutors to help with homework and college counselors there to guide me. There are online appointments for help, however I feel as it is not as affective than it would be in person. Personally, I need to be shown physically and visually how to complete work. Through video call it is often … Read More

I agree with Niya’s opinion. When I was at school, there were resources available to help when I was in need. There were tutors to help with homework and college counselors there to guide me. There are online appointments for help, however I feel as it is not as affective than it would be in person. Personally, I need to be shown physically and visually how to complete work. Through video call it is often hard for me to comprehend the help provided to me.

sayed idris 4 years ago 4 years ago

I feel like distance learning is just bad because teachers give work but can’t help us because there are so many more students.

Komalpreet Mangat 4 years ago 4 years ago

I agree with Niya. I also don’t learn that much in the distance learning but I try to turn my all work on time.

Sayed Sadat 4 years ago 4 years ago

I can agree with Nyia Mason, she said “At school, I feel like I was actually learning. But for distance learning, it feels like I am not learning to my full potential.” I feel the same way.

Symonni Hampton 4 years ago 4 years ago

I agree with Niya. It is definitely a struggle to get the work turned in on time during Distance Learning, especially when you have other sibling to help out and get them in their class meetings and help out with their class or homework. I feel as if I am not learning because of all the distractions at home. Sometimes there are technical issues and the teacher can't hear or see us. I would say … Read More

Kalissa 4 years ago 4 years ago

I agree with almost all of the students. It is very hard to concentrate at my house so I find it difficult learning and less motivated.

Kevin G 4 years ago 4 years ago

Yashika Joshi and Ricardo Castillo Fierro both have very good points. It is hard to stay motivated in this type of environment and it is even harder with a heavier workload and more difficult assignments.

jade 4 years ago 4 years ago

I agree with Niya I don’t seem to learn anything but trying to keep but with my work and trying to turn it, in time is stressful.

Emily 4 years ago 4 years ago

I agree with Ricardo’s opinion on online learning making it harder to get work done. At home there are a lot of distractions and it’s hard to focus or get motivated to work.

I also agree with Monishla. The work feels optional because we won’t have to directly face our teachers in class with the work. It’s hard to get yourself to do the required work each day.

miracle 4 years ago 4 years ago

Being in distance learning is very head spinning because sometimes the zoom does not work and some of the teachers do not know how to properly use the zoom calls but over all zoom calls are all right.

Lamar Holloway 4 years ago 4 years ago

When I was at school, the only thing I had to worry about was school. Now that we have to do everything from home; everything becomes a factor – dogs barking, babies crying, chores, etc. This has just made everything harder to handle along with trying to fight against COVID-19.

Alexis Hawes 4 years ago 4 years ago

With the online school, I just don’t feel motivated to do it and there is also a lot of distractions. Whereas in school we were pushed more and there were only a couple of distractions. Online school can also be very confusing to me sometimes. But in the end I try and get my work done.

Shu Yin Huang (Canita) 4 years ago 4 years ago

Personally, distantce learning has been convenient but also difficult. I don’t have to go to school, that means I will learn less by using Zoom. I really miss my school life, my classmates and participating in activities. I feel like I am less motivated to study. It is hard to manage my time. I hope everything will be fine and we can go to school as soon as possible,

Brian 4 years ago 4 years ago

Inevitably, it is really hard to study online. But the fact cannot be denied that it is one of the good ways to bind students with their subjects.

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Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

‘My Online Learning Experience as a Student This Fall Has Been Great’

This series highlights contributions from students in my classes.

In Part One , Cathy Liu, Julia Yang, Eliseo Angulo Lopez, and Masihullah Shafiq shared their thoughts.

In Part Two , Luis Diaz, Samantha Nicole Vicedo, Cheyenne Lo, and Manpreet Rana contribute their commentaries.

Today, Lyna Nguyen, Nono Loek, and Rachel Anjel “wrap up” this series...

Teachers ‘have been really understanding’

Lyna Nguyen is a junior at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif.

My online learning experience as a student this fall has been great. What’s working for me is I like the 40 minutes in class and 40 minutes asynchronous time to work on our assignments. I feel like teachers have been really understanding and helpful of what we’re going through and how difficult it can be. I find it more relaxing for me because everything is organized through Google Classroom, and it puts a little stress off of me because I disliked feeling disorganized and anxious.

What is not working for me is sometimes my time management is off, and it can be a little stressful how teachers assign work really close to the due date of other class assignments. I’d rather have the assignments’ due dates spread out throughout the week. Sometimes, there are technology difficulties, which can interrupt my learning experience. Everything is also online, so it can take a while communicating with teachers. Overall, communication is delayed, and it can be difficult reaching out to teachers and asking for assistance. Even when I need help with a certain assignment, it can be difficult learning and processing information through a screen. Other than that, I appreciate teachers trying their best to make everything work during this pandemic.

‘Internet classes save time’

Nono Loek is a senior at Luther Burbank High School:

In my experience with internet classes, the good far outweighs the bad. Internet classes save time, and saving time is important to me. The studies are structured much better than I expected. I don’t really see a difference between the online and offline structures. Group work is done in separate rooms, and I think it’s not that bad, because we also learn a lot in online classes.

I sometimes miss the interaction with people, making long-lasting friendships, which is extremely important for all of us. At home, it’s hard to force yourself to take a break. I think this pandemic has t probably transformed education. Most of the things we found to be impossible have now proven to be possible.

I actually really enjoy distance learning, but sometimes I want everything to go back to normal. I also like how I don’t have to wake up at 6 every morning. I like that with learning online, I can relax more, as well as think more. What I don’t like about online learning is that it can take me up to a whole school day (6-7 hours) to finish assignments.

‘I understand teachers are trying to keep us safe’

Rachel Anjel is a senior at Luther Burbank High School:

My online experience this year is kind of boring because I don’t really get to see friends in school anymore. And I thought it was going to be fun using Chromebooks. Sometimes it can be difficult because sometimes the Wi-Fi doesn’t work or it can be slow. I sometimes feel bored because I can’t spend or hang out with my friends.

A good thing is that we have this app called FaceTime, so whenever I’m bored, I can just call my friends. We talk and play while we do our homework and have fun. But at the same time, I think having an online school is bad because I hate sitting in my room the whole six hrs. I remember saying I like online school, but now it’s getting boring. I think it would be better if we went to school. But I understand teachers are trying to keep us safe.

Thanks to Lyna, Nono, and Rachel for their contributions!

(This is the final post in a multipart series. You can see Part One here and Part Two here .)

The question-of-the-week:

What has your online learning experience been as a student this fall? What is working for you and why? What is not working for you and why?

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

If you missed any of the highlights from the first eight years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesn’t include ones from this current year.

This Year’s Most Popular Q&A Posts
Race & Racism in Schools
School Closures & the Coronavirus Crisis
Classroom-Management Advice
Best Ways to Begin the School Year
Best Ways to End the School Year
Student Motivation & Social-Emotional Learning
Implementing the Common Core
Facing Gender Challenges in Education
Teaching Social Studies.
Cooperative & Collaborative Learning
Using Tech in the Classroom
Student Voices
Parent Engagment In Schools
Teaching English-Language Learners
Reading Instruction
Writing Instruction
Education Policy Issues
Differentiating Instruction
Math Instruction
Science Instruction
Advice for New Teachers
Author Interviews
Entering the Teaching Profession
The Inclusive Classroom
Learning & the Brain
Administrator Leadership
Teacher Leadership
Relationships in Schools
Professional Development
Instructional Strategies
Best of Classroom Q&A
Professional Collaboration
Classroom Organization
Mistakes in Education
Project-Based Learning

I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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Doomscrolling concept. Students reading bad news, negative information in internet, social media, scrolling smartphone screen. Anxiety and stress from online surfing.

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113 Distance Education Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best distance education topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on distance education, ⭐ interesting topics to write about distance education, ✅ simple & easy distance education essay titles.

Online Classes Vs. Traditional Classes Essay The essay shall endeavor to examine the differences between online classes and the traditional classes, with a preference for the later.
Impact of Online Classes on Students Essay The thesis statement for this study is: “online learning has positive impact on the learners, teachers and the institution offering these courses” Online learning or E learning is a term used to describe various learning […] We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
Benefits of Online Learning This knowledge and skill one gains from online help the person to intermingle with others in a better way, progress their profession, or develop their business successfully.
Comparison of Stress Level Among Traditional Learning and Online Learning College Students The distance learners have been perceived to be enjoying a suitable environment of learning as opposed to the traditional classroom learners who experience high levels of stress.
Traditional vs. Distance Learning Systems On the other hand, in online learning, the students partake learning individually, and in some cases, students doing the same course in the same college do not even get to know each other.
How to Succeed in Online Classes The time you attend the class has to coincide with the time of day when your brain is also most receptive to the information it receives.
Virtual Learning: Yes and No Argumentation The argument stems from the quality of the education that can be received via the internet and what the drawbacks are once there is no physical contact between students and the professors.
Online Learning and Classroom Learning Combining the two concepts then, we can define e-learning “as a learning environment that exists solely in the form of digital content that is stored, accessed and exchanged through networked computer and information systems” The […]
Personal Reflections for the MBA Distance Learning I was able to concentrate on various subjects, complete assignments, and liaise with different instructors throughout the learning process. The approach made the learning process desirable and capable of supporting my aims.
The Importance of Online Learning For this purpose, it is possible to conduct classes in real-time, when they can ask and receive the opinion of others.
Distance Learning: Advantages and Limitations All three articles cover the topic of distance learning in the context of the coronavirus and everyday practice. Speaking of the advantages of distance learning, the author suggests that remote learning may not be ideal […]
Learning Objectives Implementation With the advent of the internet, online courses have sprouted resulting in the debate on the two options, traditional class setting, and the online class.
Distance Learning and Its Evolution Definitions of distance education are varied and diverse, but the main concept of distance learning can be summarized from the situation wherein the student and the educator are separated by distance and time and the […]
Changes in Learning and Motivation With the Advent of Online Learning Institutions of learning have introduced online learning through improvement of infrastructure, incorporation of new technologies in learning, recruitment of professionals who are conversant with new technologies, and revision of curriculums in order to accommodate new […]
The Importance of Virtual Learning Communities The learning communities enable the instructors and the students to volunteer their questions. The virtual learning communities enable online degree programs to give students autonomy over the learning process.
Online Learning Is a Superior Form of Education This paper will argue that online learning is a superior form of education since it helps students and learning institutes to overcome limitations imposed by the traditional learning environment.
Zoom for Online Learning Updates During the pandemic, the zoom was and is still the most downloaded App in the USA and globally compared to others.
The Roles of Families in Virtual Learning By analyzing the various roles that families play in virtual learning, the authors demonstrate that family involvement and support are critical to the success of their children The authors begin by discussing the impact of […]
Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic The radical transition from the traditional system of obtaining knowledge to virtual education actualizes research related to the analysis of the specifics and dysfunctions of distance learning.
The Need for Online Learning at St. Francis Elementary School This has led to the need to design an online learning platform suitable for interactive and critical learning experiences by the tutors and their learners.
Online Learning Perception and Effectiveness While the solution allowed students to access information and continue their studies, there was apprehension in regard to the efficacy of online learning and the outcomes such shifts have on students’ academic performances.
Distance Learning of Forest Management Considering that the goal of the research was to analyze the results and implications of a practical approach to the forest management course engagement and e-learning development, most information was derived from the expert team […]
The Impact of Distance Learning on the Mental State The argument of the supporters of the first perspective is based on the fact that online education reduces the ability of students to concentrate and deteriorates overall motivation.
A Distance Learning Program: Strategies for Successful Starting or Expanding An institution has to identify the most appropriate communication tools and media to be used by students and teachers in a distance learning program.
Starting and Expanding Distance Learning Program Therefore, decision-makers must grapple with the problem of distant learning planning, as institutions are caught between the desire to serve students online and the requirement to maintain traditional student services.
Factors for Teachers’ Motivation in Distance Learning Efficient communication with the administration of an institution is a crucial factor that affects the motivation of teachers in distance learning.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Online Learning Amidst that confusion, it would be important to take a deep look into the subject and see the disadvantages and the advantages of online learning.
Pros and Cons of Distance Education On the one hand, modernization of education allows it to expand the usual boundaries of transmitting and receiving information in the educational process while retaining all the integral components.
Rhetorical Analysis of the Distance Education The essay can be addressed both to the children and parents for whom the issues of health and psychology are important.
Distance Learning Experiences of In-Service Music Teachers From Puerto Rico The study explores the experiences of in-service music teachers in distance learning. This paper examines the motivations of in-service teachers in distance learning.
Design Thinking for Online Learning Project In this paper, attention will be paid to the problem of a lack of engagement with online learning and a reflection on design thinking as its solution.
Maximizing the Effectiveness of Online Learning Flipped learning allows the teacher to provide the greatest amount of time for direct interaction with students, which is especially important in the framework of online learning.
New Online Learning Platform: Market Analysis The goal of online education is to enhance the knowledge of people who want to pursue a particular career for a fee that is lesser when compared to offline studies in Universities.
Software Engineering Online Learning Center However, it is not easy to tell what the website is promoting just by the look of the homepage and thus, visitors with less time might not be interested to click to the sub-sections and […]
Distance Education Problem Overview Generally, distance education can be evaluated as a binary prospect: on one hand, it presents a row of advantages for the people who are busy with their work and family duties, and on the other […]
Negotiation: Distance Learning and Social Change The conflict that arises, in this case, is that the Pirates are demanding ransom money from the owners of the tanker in order to release it and its crew. The essay has given a detailed […]
Online Learning in Jordan Universities: Effectiveness and Obstruction For the quality learning process, e-learning has been developed to use different approaches to ease the process of learning. E-learning is a novel idea in most of the Arab world and it has come with […]
Online Learning Institutions and Courses This account allows you to access the online learning institutions library. Which are the most reliable online learning institutions?
Professional Development Methods: Distance Education Technologies Professional development at universities has included methods to assist faculty in improving course design and educational methods, as well as in becoming familiar with and applying educational technologies, such as distance education tools. These centers […]
Why Distance Education Can Fulfill the Purpose of a True Education? The only reason I can see for professors to frown upon distance education is that it has removed their infallibility in the eyes of the students.
Earning a Degree Through Distance Education Though both foreign and traditional education institutions provide knowledge and skills to students in order to enable them become competent in their profession, the institutions vary in the quality of degree courses they provide to […]
Online Learning in Vocational Education and Training There are different variations in the process of learning on the basis of the types of combination and integration with the other technologies used for the teaching and learning process.
Distance Learning Fulfilling Education Purpose Distance learning mode of education, which is a kind of education that takes place when the teachers and the students are separated by space and time, does not entirely serve the purpose of education. The […]
Distributed and Distance Learning Systems It is a system that can be of great impact to the researchers this is because one is able to get information that will help him or her get a cue for that group that […]
Social Constructivism in Cooperative and Distance Learning As opposed to the behaviorist view of learning which gives more importance to the imitation aspects of the learner in the learning process, this constructivist theory gives greater room for the active interaction of the […]
Online Learning and Learning Behaviours In such a way, the main reason for the creation of this project is the increased popularity of online learning and the need for the in-depth investigation of this phenomenon because of its increased demand.
Nurses and Virtual Learning Environments: Understanding Limits in Nursing Education Despite the expected benefits and improvements in nursing education due to the use of virtual learning environments, this practice may create a number of challenges for students and teachers.
Online Learning Design Specifications The rapid rise of technologies and the evolution of communication means resulted in the appearance of new approaches to the learning process.
Innovative Social Networking in Online High School The preparedness of the school is also critical towards the success of this innovative technology. The school should also examine the benefits and bottlenecks of the new technology.
Online Classes for High School Students I wish to submit to you that the need for extra input in terms of study has caused many parents to enroll their children in online study classes to supplement the knowledge they get from […]
Online Learning Environments The questions will be posted to the group by the instructor. The learners are likely to face a number of challenges in the course of the module.
Evaluating Online Learning Tools The learners can be referred to reliable wikis and blogs to integrate the ideas learnt from the class. In this manner, the desires of people to learn are not limited by distance and time.
Online Learning Principles and Objectives In this way, the students will not only argue the purposes and significance of the course to their life, but also create an interactive session among the students and their instructor. As the instructor, I […]
Online Learning Space Creating Process On the other hand, a community of practice has been known to mean a crowd of people who are in the same career or share the same interest.
Distance Learning and Virtual High School This implies that district schools in lines with virtual High school are of much importance to both the educators and students.
Distance Education: Best Practices and Approaches The study with the use of a case-based learning system undertaken by Cifuentes, Mercer, Alverez, and Bettati in 2010 demonstrated that students could remotely participate in the learning process without the need to be physically […]
Online Learning and Innovations in Pedagogy On the other hand, computer-based learning can be understood as a learning environment in which computers are used to mediate between learners and content without necessarily being online.
Efficient Interaction in Distance Learning Classroom The problem is that the number of enrolments in the online form of education is augmenting, even as the knowledge regarding the factors that influence the effectiveness of distance education continues to be scarce.
Virtual Learning Environments: Effective Use Tutors often face the challenge of effective delivery of lessons in the classroom given the diverse categories of students. Learning objects basically refer to blocks of content that can be interlinked to produce a course.
Using Wikis to Encourage Online Classes Collaborative Work The problem is that the entire process seems to ignore the relevance of enabling students to interact and share their ideas in the learning environment.
Technology Acceptance Model of Online Learning The findings of the study demonstrate the effectiveness of external variables related to online learning environments in predicting the ability of users to adopt online learning community.
Formulating an Online Learning Course Reviewing is done from the student side where a person analyzes the content and readability of the information contained in the online learning program.
Tone Impact in Distance Education Thus, in this paper, the tone will refer to the tone the instructor implies in the text material and the tone of conversations between the instructors and the students.
Ethical Issues in Online Learning The online assessment methods should consider the ethical issues arising from the learning process. The assessment methods should be able to prevent all forms of dishonesty during the learning process.
Virtual Learning Environment: Concord Consortium The problem is that this capitalization can be perceived as sign of rudeness, and it can make reluctant to take part in the discussion. Provided that a teacher can promote the involvement of students, they […]
High School of Virtual Learning Environment The aim will be to see incorporation of the system, the opportunities, and the challenges faced while using Virtual Learning Environment.
Transition From Traditional Education to Online Learning The speed of information transfer at any time and anywhere through the internet makes online learning relatively cheap compared to the traditional education system.
Distance Learning OL and Interactive Video in Higher Education The two-way communication systems as well as the need to interact ‘physically’ between and among the participants are what propelled the adoption of this mode of learning.
Distance Learning Foundational Concepts Another problem that arises as a result of distance learning is the lack of face to face or one on one contact between teachers or instructors and their students.
Convenience and Flexibility of the Online Classes The advantage of online courses for full or part-time employed individuals is that you can plan how you take your courses. Online classes also introduce students to a variety of web-based tools and techniques that […]
Concept of Distance Learning in Modern Education System The accessibility of the distance learning courses mainly depend on the awareness of the instructor to the accessibility issues and how the instructor can best handle the course with consideration of accessibility.
Creating Student Engagement in Online Learning Environment To contribute to creating and stimulating student engagement in online learning environments, it is important to focus on such factors as the increase of students’ motivation, focus on independent and inquiry-based learning, the active role […]
Administrative Progressivism in Relation to Online Learning The main idea of the discussion is to consider online learning from the perspective of administrative progressivism with identifying the advantages and disadvantages of using the mentioned approach along with the chosen method of study.
Computer and Internet Facilities Use in Distance Education
Asynchronous Distance Education Issues
Distance Education, Leadership, and Management
Teaching and Learning Online: Contextualizing the Distance Education Classroom as a “Safe Space” for Learning
Nursing and Distance Education: Regulation and Legislation
Tertiary Distance Education and Student Adjustment
Accreditation Need and Distance Education
Adult Students’ Problems in the Distance Education and Online Learning
Distance Education Student’s Experiences of Participation and Inclusion in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
Impact of Distance Education on Higher Education Across the World
Factors That Influence Learning Outcomes of Adult Students Enrolled in Distance Education
Computer and Long Distance Education
Distance Education and Low Education
Tips for Managers Setting up a Distance Education Program
Distance Education Theory: Dialog, Structure, and Learner Autonomy
The Benefits and Future of Distance Education
Distance Education Investment Reasons
How Distance Education Has Changed the World of Education
Distance Education Practice: Methods and Benefits
Rural Versus Urban Students – Differences in Accessing and Financing
Academic Success Factors: Distance Education Versus Traditional
Online Education Versus Distance Education Versus Face-To-Face Learning
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Distance Education
Theoretical Framework for Distance Education
Measuring Perseverance and Passion in Distance Education Students: Psychometric Properties of the Grit Questionnaire and Associations With Academic Performance
Distance Education and Its Impact on the World
Face-To-Face and Distance Education Modalities in the Training of Healthcare Professional
Distance Education Has Changed the World: Evolution of Online Learning
Old Apprehensions, New Anxieties: A Study of Student ‘Psychological Cost’ in Traditional and Distance Education
Distance Education Issue and Its Significance
The Missing Borders: Pedagogical Reflections From Distance Education
Distance Education and Telecommunications Technologies
Time Management for Distance Education
How Distance Education Can Help Poorer and Developing Countries
College Distance Education Courses: Evaluating Benefits
The Necessity for Distance Education and E-Learning
Distance Education for Students With Disabilities
Pros and Cons of Online Distance Education vs. Traditional Education
Distance Education and the Isolation of Rural Schools
Finding Determinants Affecting Distance Education Effectiveness in Terms of Learner Satisfaction and Application Achievement
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An Argumentative-Writing Unit for Students Doing Remote Learning

Suggestions for self-guided activities that can help students practice making claims and supporting them with evidence.

By Michael Gonchar and Katherine Schulten

Note to Teachers: Here is a PDF teacher’s guide for using this unit with students.

Whether you’re here because your school has switched to remote learning or because you just want to sharpen your argumentative skills, welcome to our first “unit” written directly to students.

Of course, we know this isn’t a full unit like one you might work on over several weeks in school, under the direction of a teacher. Instead, it’s a streamlined version of the many resources our site offers on this topic, written in a way we hope teenagers can follow, at least in part, on their own.

If you are familiar with our site, then you know we believe strongly in student voice and choice. No matter how you use the ideas below, there is a lot of flexibility. You can choose what’s most relevant, interesting and meaningful to you as you go.

Here, in three items, is what you’ll be doing. How and in what order is up to you, though we have suggested a sequence.

Using our daily writing prompts to practice making arguments , either by posting a comment on our site, or by writing just for yourself, or for classmates or for a teacher in a remote learning-management system.

We’ve been asking a question a day since 2009, so you have lots to choose from. For instance, if the question “ Should parents track their children? ” doesn’t interest you, maybe “ Do memes make the internet a better place? ” will.

Studying some argumentative “mentor texts” — that is, good published examples full of “writer’s moves” you can borrow — that were written by fellow teenagers and by adults.

Writing a polished, 450-word opinion piece to submit to our Student Editorial Contest, which ends on April 21. We’ll pick winners, runners-up and honorable mentions and publish them on The Learning Network.

Here’s how. Please let us know if you have questions by posting them here, or by writing to us at [email protected].

Step 1: Create a free account.

Before you do anything else, you should create a free account so you can comment on our writing prompts. Here’s a video that walks you through the process.

Note: If you are under 13, you cannot post a public comment on NYTimes.com. If you are 13 to 18 years old, you should ask a parent or guardian to help you register because they will need to approve the Terms of Service.

Step 2: Submit a comment.

Now you’re ready to submit your first comment.

Go to this page: Argumentative Writing Prompts .

Scroll through the list and choose any prompt that interests you. Read the prompt, think about what you want to say and click on the comment button. Enter your name and location, type in your comment and press submit. Congratulations! You submitted your first comment.

Tip 1: Your name can be just your first name — or any format your teacher gives you. Your location can be your school, your city, state or even country.

Tip 2: Your comment won’t appear right away. We have moderators who approve every comment before it publishes, so please be patient.

Step 3: Get into the routine of writing casually.

We recommend that you respond to at least one new prompt each school day. If you’re feeling inspired, do more. We’re not looking for perfect grammar or structure, we’re just looking for thoughtful engagement with the question. It’s an easy way to flex your writing muscles.

Before you respond, you might think about the point you want to make, and consider how you’ll support that opinion with either evidence from the article or from your own life experiences and observations.

For good examples, take a look at some of the student comments on this recent ethical question , or on this popular question from 2018. What responses are most interesting to you? Why?

Tip: If you write about one of our most recent prompts, your comment might be featured in our weekly roundup of great comments . We spotlight 30 to 40 students each week.

Step 4: Reply to other students.

One of the things that make our comment section special is that students from all over the world participate.

Before you comment, read what other students have written. Pay attention to both what they say and how they say it. If they make a really good point, take note. If their writing is very clear and persuasive, think about how they did that.

If someone’s comment makes an impression on you, you can submit a reply. Above is an example of that kind of conversation, from this writing prompt .

Tip: When your comment is published, you’ll receive a confirmation email. You can forward this to your teacher to prove that you submitted a comment.

Step 5: Pick an issue you want to write about.

This unit culminates in our annual Student Editorial Contest , in which you’re invited to write about something you care about, and persuade us to care about it, too.

Here’s the challenge:

Choose a topic you care about — whether it’s something we’ve addressed on The Learning Network or not — then gather evidence from sources both inside and outside The New York Times and write a concise editorial (450 words or fewer) to convince readers of your view.

In the past, students have won by taking on topics as diverse as social media and policing ; video gaming and voting ; why it’s fine to be messy and why we should all eat more bugs . Scroll through our past winners, because the list goes on and on .

Think about the topics that matter most to you, and think about why they matter to you. As you’ll see if you read some of the work of our teenage winners, not only is it OK to write this essay from a first-person (“I”) point of view, often a persuasive essay is better when the writer reveals a personal stake in the issue.

Tip: You may want to use one of the topics you’ve already written about in this unit. Or, pick something entirely new. If you’re looking for inspiration, use these two lists to scroll through hundreds of ideas:

401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing

130 New Prompts for Argumentative Writing

Step 6: Do research.

Now that you have a topic, you’ll need to build out your position, and find evidence to support it. Our Editorial Contest requires that you use at least one Times source and one non-Times source in writing your essay. Now is your chance to broaden your “ news diet ” to find reliable sources of all kinds, and to read deeply and widely about this issue.

As you go, take notes. Find quotes from experts that strengthen your position. Seek out alternate perspectives and take them seriously. As you research, it is not uncommon for your position to become more nuanced or even change entirely once you begin to understand the big picture.

Tip: If you don’t have a subscription to The New York Times, you may hit the paywall while you’re doing your research. If you do, you can use the search bar on the Learning Network’s home page — scroll down, and you’ll find it hidden below the featured articles. All the Learning Network’s articles are free, and so are the New York Times links in those articles.

Step 7: Try some of these ‘writer’s moves.’

Now, start drafting. But as you go, you might learn from students who have come before you . What have these winners done that you admire? What lessons might these essays have for your writing?

Choose at least three of the winning essays to read, and take note of what “writer’s moves” impress you. Do they start with a great hook? Do they seamlessly weave in strong evidence? Do they deftly tackle counterarguments? Have they used interesting words or sentence structure?

For example, here is one that is written in the first person and follows a less-traditional structure: The Life-Changing Magic of Being Messy .

And here is one that is more traditional, perhaps like the argumentative essays you have written in school: Accountability-Based Testing Is Broken .

What can you learn from each of them? What strategies might you try?

Once you’ve studied several student essays, you might take a look at the Times Opinion section and find adult-written editorials or Op-Eds you admire. The more you can read and identify what works to persuade an audience, the better you’ll be at wielding those strategies.

Tip: The “writer’s moves” you identify don’t have to be big. Maybe you never realized a paragraph could begin with “For instance,” the way Alan Peng starts his second one: “For instance, as part of the process, teachers are forced to spend more and more time ‘teaching to the test,’ wasting valuable instruction time.” Or maybe you admire the short, punchy sentences Isabel Hwang uses: “Gross? Yes. Bad? Not necessarily.” Mentor texts are very personal — there are as many lessons in a good one as there are individual readers looking for them.

Step 8: Drafting your editorial.

A video made for us in 2014 by Andrew Rosenthal, who was then editor of the Times Opinion section.

If you’ve studied our previous winners, you probably realize that those essays don’t go by a set formula. Few of them follow all the “rules” of the classic five-paragraph essay, for instance. But all of them, like any good Opinion piece, do have three essential parts: a beginning (your introduction), a middle (the body) and an end (your conclusion).

Here is our contest rubric . As you compose, make sure you have done each of the things we ask, including stating a clear opinion, issuing a call to action around it and using reliable evidence to support your point of view.

Tip: Don’t forget that your editorial cannot be longer than 450 words. You might go into this contest thinking writing “short” is easier than writing “long,” but we hear from students and teachers every year that getting everything you want to say into so few words takes longer than you might think!

Step 9: Submit your editorial.

When you’re finished writing your editorial, find the appropriate submission form on the contest announcement page . Look for the heading: “How to Submit.” If you are over 16, you will use the Student Submission Form. If you are under 16, then have a teacher, parent or guardian submit your editorial using the Teacher Submission Form.

Tip: Ask someone else to read your draft before submitting it. Ask that person: “How well can you follow my argument? Do you find my evidence convincing?”

Thank you for participating.

Stay tuned. We announce winners about eight weeks after the contest ends.

If you have questions about this unit, submit a comment on this post or email us at [email protected].

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Distance Learning Education, Essay Example

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An Excellent Alternative for the Busy Student

The days when a student had to attend a traditional brick and mortar institution of higher learning, such as a local community college or a state-based university, in order to obtain an education are long gone, thanks to what has become the future of higher education–distance learning or attending college and/or university classes via the World Wide Web as a long-distance student. Nowadays, for most people seeking a higher education, distance learning helps to “remove the traditional boundaries of time and location” by offering more flexibility related to choosing a timeframe in which to take classes online. Distance learning also allows a student to remain in the comfort of his/her own home without having to worry about driving back and forth to school and lets the student choose where and when to study the required course materials (Online and Distance Learning, 2013).

According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Instructional Technology Council, part of the American Association of Community Colleges, the demand for online educational resources continues to expand “at a rate that is much greater than the demand for on-campus, face-to-face courses.” One unfortunate result of this trend is that student enrollment at major US colleges and universities have dropped considerably, due in part to the costs associated with attending a traditional brick and mortar institution and the current recessionary economic status of the US (2012 Distance Education Survey Results, 2012).

Statistically, this survey revealed that enrollments related to distance education online classes expanded by almost 7% between the fall of 2011 and that of 2012. This demonstrates that the popularity of online long distance learning classes continues to increase as a result of some surprising numbers in an earlier survey made between 2007 and 2008 when online enrollment stood at 22% of the entire number of students seeking a higher education in the US (2012 Distance Education Survey Results, 2012). Thus, it is clear that current and potential students are beginning to see the advantages related to distance learning; this also holds true for the US Department of Education and other educational agencies which have begun to offer financial student aid and federal grants to those who choose to obtain their education online (2012 Distance Education Survey Results, 2012).

Perhaps the most important area related to distance learning is that it saves time and money by being able to work from home in a setting of one’s own choosing. Most students have pointed out in other surveys that distance learning offers them a good deal of flexibility as opposed to a traditional brick and mortar school. For example, distance learning allows students to complete their coursework from any location, such as through a local library internet connection or by using their own personal computers at home or even a portable laptop computer. Distance learning also eliminates the need to commute between home and school which helps to “cut down on costly gas or public transportation” (Advantages and Disadvantages of Distance Learning, 2014). Lastly, distance learning allows students to take their time related to completing their degree and of course makes it easier to manage one’s responsibilities related to employment and tending to the needs of a family (Advantages and Disadvantages of Distance Learning, 2014). Altogether, distance learning appears to be the trend of the future related to obtaining a higher education and as technology increases the efficiency of the World Wide Web, distance learning will remain as an excellent alternative to the traditional brick and mortar concept.

2012 distance education survey results. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.itcnetwork.org/component/content/article/48-library-articles-abstracts-research/87-2012-distance-education-survey-results-.html

Advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. (2014). Distance Learning Net.Retrieved from http://www.distancelearningnet.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-distance-learning

Online and distance learning. (2013). Colorado State University. Retrieved from http://www.online.colostate.edu/onlinedistance/distance-learning.dot

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