Abstract
The unprecedented situation of the COVID-19 pandemic has generated radical transformations of the Romanian education system, forcing teachers as well as students to adapt in a short time to new social conditions and to the online learning process. The paper analyzes the sustainability of the e-learning system implemented in Romania during the pandemic, and it is based on an opinion poll based on a questionnaire developed on three levels of schooling (middle school, high school, and university), analyzed from three perspectives, teachers–students–parents, and identifying the possible psychological effects on students, resulting from the corroboration of social isolation with the online continuation of the educational process. Although before the pandemic the e-learning system was rarely used by both students and teachers, the research results indicate that students have accepted online learning, even if they find it less attractive than the traditional education system. From the teacher–student–parent perspective, e-learning is an effective sustainable learning solution in current and future conditions, but it requires good collaboration between parents and teachers, careful monitoring of children’s/students’ behavior to identify and combat possible effects determined by the changing way of learning and of social realities.
Highlights
The rapid worldwide spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has created unprecedented challenges for safety, health, education, the economy, and job stability
The aim of the paper is to perform an analysis of the e-learning system implemented in Romania, during the pandemic generated by the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus, between March and June 2020, to highlight the perception of the main actors involved in the educational process
The results of this study showed that before COVID-19 the use of e-learning was very low (17% of teachers have used it, and only students from universities)
Summary
The rapid worldwide spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has created unprecedented challenges for safety, health, education, the economy, and job stability. According to UNESCO, the main effects generated by the closure of schools were [2] (i) interruption of the educational process; (ii) compromised nutrition: school closures affect a significant number of children and young people who rely on free meals or discounts offered in schools for food and healthy eating; (iii) confusion and stress for teachers: teachers are often insecure about their obligations of identifying the optimal way to maintain connections with students to support learning, and the transition to online learning platforms tends to be quite difficult and complex, presenting both human and technical challenges; (iv) parents unprepared for online and home schooling: parents often need to facilitate their children’s learning at home; (v) significant economic costs for working parents, because they have to stay home for childcare during the closing period, but there may be gaps in childcare, in the case of low-income families who cannot afford a parent to stay at home to ensure proper care of children; (vi) increasing drop-out rates: this is a challenge especially in the case of prolonged school closures and when economic shocks put pressure on children to work and generate income for families in financial difficulty; (vii) increased exposure to violence and exploitation; and (viii) social isolation: schools are the hubs of social activity and human interaction, and by closing them many children and young people lose the social contact that is essential for learning and development. Biasutti M [3], in a study on teachers and students in music and sports, whose results suggested the possibility of grouping in the following dimensions: establishing a new relationship; working on a new form for the relationship; development of functional, positive adaptations; and the development of non-adaptive, detached relationships
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