Outsourced Academy On the Academic Campus and the Study Spaces Outside it in the Post COVID-19 era - Where Do Students Study?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic affected almost all aspects of life around the world, including academic studies. Although some medical experts claim that the pick of the pandemic is over, its effects will probably remain for a long time. In this pioneering study, we examine the effect of the COVID-19 on off-campus learning experience of university students that is an addition to the on-campus learning experience. Off-campus learning outside the academic campus is defined as a learning experience that complements the frontal learning and includes learning from digital courses of other academic institutions, from recorded courses on YouTube, from lessons given by private/ commercial entities, from classes outside the university given by external practitioners and from reinforcement “study marathons” held off campus in preparation for exams. Many academic institutes were forces to close their campuses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to develop alternative teaching programs. This research examines the effect of the closure of campuses on the learning experience of students in the post COVID-19 era. The study described in this paper involved 118 students from the Faculty of Engineering at a university in Israel who responded to a questionnaire. The study was conducted shortly after the return of students to the campus, following long periods of off-campus studies. The results of the study show a clear and unambiguous picture: The COVID-19 pandemic revolutionized the learning habits of the students. This revolution is very quiet, but very significant and is characterized by a significant involvement of private/commercial entities in the academic programs. Information about the trends of off-campus courses shed light not only on the learning habits of students today, but also draw lines on possible future learning trends.