Rethinking public administration education in the period of pandemic: Reflections of public administration students on online education through a SWOT analysis

Abstract

The current research aims to explore the perceptions of undergraduate and graduate public administration students about online education. The data were gathered from political science and public administration students at the end of the spring semester at a public university in Turkey. Focus group interviews among students were chosen as the data collection method. Later, applying the SWOT analysis, the weaknesses and strengths along with threats and opportunities were identified. In the study, Maslow's needs hierarchy was revisited for a more insightful analysis of findings. Therefore, the study has provided an in-depth analysis of online education to identify caveats for successful implementation. The study concludes that self-actualization is indispensable for revealing the real potential and the creativity of students. Therefore, we cannot overlook the socializing role of university campuses and face-to-face education in the way to self-actualization.