ASSESSMENT OF THE PROBLEMS THAT AROSE IN THE DISTANCE EDUCATION DURING THE PANDEMIC FOR THE STUDENTS AT THE GREEK PUBLIC VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTES

Abstract

"The rapid spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in early 2020 was an unexpected situation that affected all areas of human life, especially education and training. Distance education soon replaced classic, during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the necessary social distancing to maintain global health. Distance education is not an unknown form of education, as it is often used as educational tool at all levels of education. However, the sudden and exclusive use of distance education during the pandemic created concerns in members of the academic community and brought about radical changes at both, educational and psychosocial levels. The purpose of this research is to record the degree of acceptance of distance teaching and learning methods in vocational education and training in Greece, especially in students studying at Public Vocational Training Institutes (PVTIs) and to identify potential obstacles or benefits of online learning during COVID-19. Distance education in combination with distance e-learning is a form of distance education in which participants of the educational process, i.e., teacher and students, are in a different physical space and communicate with synchronous and/or asynchronous internet platforms. Due to the nature of e-learning and its rapid spread in the educational community during the current pandemic, there is insufficient research examining its effectiveness in vocational education. The rapid development of mobile devices and wireless networks does not automatically mean the successful utilization and sustainability of e-learning systems. In order to study the experience and problems of distance learning platforms, quantitative research took place among the PVTI students through questionnaire. The sample of the quantitative research consisted of 768 Greek PVTI students that have responded, and a pilot statistical processing of the received data has been done. To track the experience with the distance learning platforms, the sample has been asked to mention the potential issues faced with the platforms. Most of the respondents mentioned technical and accessibility issues. A variety of issues have been mentioned, either difficulties of the users or problems of the system. In parallel, they pointed out the advantages of personal contact and feedback from their professors. It is interesting that only a small part of the sample reported no problems at all. The research shows moderate percentages of satisfaction from the enhancement of students' skills and from the coverage of their educational needs, while highlighting the upgraded role of asynchronous education platforms e-class, Moodle and e-classroom and of synchronous platforms Webex and Zoom."