Online Learning and Emergency Remote Teaching in Higher Education during COVID-19: Student Perspectives

Abstract

There is no universal response for institutions in higher education on how to handle the continuity of education during the radical transformation all across the world during COVID-19. Online learning is often used as a synonym for emergency remote teaching, however, both methods have fundamentally different characteristics that differ in implementation and effectiveness. This study aims to investigate student perceptions concerning online learning and emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the global pandemic. An importance-performance analysis (IPA) was used to determine the perceived satisfaction of undergraduate students. This mixed-method study expands earlier research addressing concerns with ERT and adds to the body of knowledge by investigating how ERT is perceived by university students in Northeastern Thailand. Responses from a self-administered survey were collected and analyzed (n=287). Based on descriptive analysis, it was decided to conduct 14 unstructured interviews to investigate particular findings more thoroughly. The study identified that the students largely view ERT as inferior compared to traditional classroom teaching. Moreover, the students claimed both lack of social interactions with peers and inability to seek academic support as the primary reasons. This study informs educators about student perceptions and preferences during these extraordinary circumstances of uncertain duration.