Remote Online Education in Undergraduate Mathematics: Students’ Perspectives

Abstract

Full remote online education was introduced in higher education in early 2020 in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to determine students’ experiences in the three pillars of online education: teaching, learning and assessment based on the digital technologies platform. Before the pandemic, implementing online education in some universities was basic. A case study of two undergraduate mathematics classes was considered to determine students’ experiences in online education. Data were collected using open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that prior to the pandemic, online education was sporadically implemented. The advent of COVID-19 informed higher education institutions on the opportunities to effectively engage digital transformation to provide education remotely. Teaching and learning were successfully conducted on Microsoft Teams. Mathematics assessment is conveniently administered as timed Blackboard assignments, much to the students’ satisfaction. Even though academia may return to normal contact classes with the waning of COVID-19, online assessment remains a convenient mode in sync to modern technology trends. Keywords: Online education, Mathematics, Students’ experiences, Online assessment, Post-COVID-19