Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic poses great challenges to higher education. Universities had to change their infrastructure to full remote teaching and learning environments in a very short time. Lecturers and students were forced to adjust their established routines and concepts of teaching and learning. During the first nationwide lockdown in Germany, we explored students' anticipations regarding the risks and chances of this challenging situation. They were asked about the negative and positive effects of this sudden switch to online university courses and the relevance personally ascribed to each of these expected effects. A sample of 584 students provided 3,839 statements, which were examined by means of qualitative content analysis. While 57.7% of the statements concerned negative effects, 42.3% dealt with positive ones. The range of expected negative and positive effects was wide, but key themes emerged particularly frequently. While the mentioned effects were generally considered to be of high personal relevance, negative effects were rated as significantly more relevant, but with only a small effect size. The relevance of negative effects was considered higher by master students than by bachelor students. Relevance ratings were significantly higher for the first effect mentioned compared with all subsequent effects, indicating an ease-of-retrieval effect, which is relevant from both a methodological and content perspective. The results provide important insights into students' perspectives on remote learning that will be significant beyond the current pandemic, as they can guide sustainable measures by exploiting opportunities and mitigating risks. We discuss practical implications and methodological limitations of the study.
Highlights
Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable influence on society (Nicola et al, 2020)
A survey at a large German university showed that the majority of student teachers does not perceive any learning opportunities for the acquisition of corresponding competences (Jäger-Biela et al, 2020)
Among the negative effects associated with the transition to remote teaching and learning, the most frequently mentioned effects concerned social interaction and communication: The students provided 300 statements indicating a general decrease or lack of social interaction and communication
Summary
Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable influence on society (Nicola et al, 2020). The first nationwide lockdown in Germany in March 2020 forced universities to change their infrastructure to fully remote teaching and learning environments in a short period of time. The lack of appropriate infrastructure, skills, and experience with remote teaching and learning had already been noted previously (Persike and Friedrich, 2016). In higher education, students’ media use does not necessarily correlate with digital learning, given that digital media are rarely an integral part of teaching and learning (Persike and Friedrich, 2016). Past research identified key factors that determine remote learning readiness in higher education, such as technological infrastructure, policy makers, financial aspects, human resources, but most importantly the skills and attitudes of teachers and learners (Rohayani, 2015). A survey at a large German university showed that the majority of student teachers does not perceive any learning opportunities for the acquisition of corresponding competences (Jäger-Biela et al, 2020)
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