Undergraduates’ perceptions and attitudes towards online learning at Jordanian universities during COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT Since the beginning of the global pandemic in early 2020, online learning has largely replaced face-to-face learning worldwide. In Jordan, online learning has been implemented using various online tools and platforms. The purpose of the present study was to ascertain the attitudes of 579 undergraduate students in Jordan toward online learning, measure their willingness to adopt it, and investigate their perceptions of the challenges they encountered during the learning process. To recruit eligible individuals from five Jordanian government universities the researchers used a cross-sectional, correlational web-based survey approach via social media sites, primarily the Facebook pages. The study's primary findings indicate that the majority of students (82.2%) preferred face-to-face education over online learning environments, despite the fact that almost half of respondents (55.6%) indicated that their institutions were prepared to offer lectures online. According to the majority of participants, the most significant impediments to online learning were an unreliable or non-existent internet connection (87.6%), a lack of motivation (75.3%), and an unsatisfactory home environment for learning (75.6%). The participants offered a variety of opinions regarding the effectiveness and usefulness of online learning at Jordanian universities. Additional research is required to confirm and consolidate these findings.