University students’ skills and beliefs about the online learning during the quarantine in Greece

Abstract

Abstract Background During the COVID-19 outbreak, all educational institutions worldwide, used online learning to support the public health response to this pandemic. Objectives To assess students’ beliefs and skills about online learning experience during COVID-19 pandemic of undergraduate students in Greece and to investigate which sociodemographic characteristics were associated with students’ beliefs and skills of online learning. Methods A 15-item questionnaire was administered to 1,103 undergraduate students at University of West Attica and University of Ioannina during 2021. The survey requested demographic and socioeconomic information and information related to online learning beliefs and skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Factor analysis, estimation of factors’ reliability and validity and univariable and multivariable linear regression analysis were carried out using Stata 13.1 and SPSS 23.0 programs. Results A total of 1.103 valid questionnaires were retrieved. 73.6% of the students were females, 56.8% aged 18-21 years old and 95.9% had Greek nationality. Factor analysis identified 2 factors, interpreted as “general beliefs about online learning,” and “acquisition of skills”. The Cronbach alpha of the instrument was 0.934. Multivariable regression analysis showed that males, students aged > 21 years old, those with Greek nationality and those who were very satisfied with their living conditions during quarantine reported having more confidence in prerequisite “skills”. Moreover, students aged > 21 years old, those studying non-health sciences, those who were very satisfied with their living conditions and those whose decision concerning their place of residence was influenced by health reasons related to the pandemic and financial reasons, had more positive “beliefs” about online learning. Conclusions The outcomes of our study will help decision-makers understand students’ attitudes and motivation toward online learning and improve ongoing online courses. Key messages • Our study provides important new information in respect of the university students’ skills and beliefs towards online education during the quarantine in Greece. • Students’ perceptions of online courses could be a crucial predictor of the ultimate effectiveness of online learning and could thus have implications on improving ongoing online courses.