Opinions of Students Studying in Associate Degree Health-Related Departments Requiring Professional Practice and Skills towards Web-Based Distance Education during the Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional-Descriptive Study

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors of society, especially education. However, the negative effects are even higher on the students who study in an associate degree program in the field of health for two years. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the opinions of students studying in an associate degree program in health-related departments with skill-based requirements towards web-based distance education during the pandemic. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on students who received associate degree education in home care, elderly care, physiotherapy, and first and emergency aid departments of a vocational school. The study data were collected from 264 volunteer students studying at vocational schools using the online questionnaire developed by the researchers. Results: The study revealed that 72% of the students did not consider web-based distance education as the right education method during the pandemic, 95.8% did not find the opportunity to care for/touch patients during their education, and 74.8% were afraid of working after graduation due to the possibility of malpractice (61.4%). Conclusions: Based on the study results, it was determined that students studying in departments with skill-based requirements in the field of health had a negative perspective on web-based distance education.