Abstract

In recent years, technological devices and the Internet have become an integral part of our lives, changing many of our habits and daily routines. This change became more rapid and intense during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic when countries compulsorily locked down their populations in an attempt to impede or halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. In order to continue their education, students stayed at home and were required instead to study online using a computer or a mobile device such as a smartphone. According to UNESCO (n.d.), “more than 1.5 billion students are or have been affected by school and university closures during this period.” As a result, distance education has become the “new normal” of the educational system. Prior to the pandemic, many studies had been conducted regarding the opinions and attitudes of university students toward distance education; however, publications on this subject since the beginning of the pandemic are still very new. Indeed, the current study aimed to reveal the views and evaluations of university students towards distance education since the beginning of the pandemic. This qualitative study was carried out at the Turcology Department of Tuzla University in the Bosnia Herzegovina Federation. A questionnaire comprised of 12 open-ended questions was used to collect the data, which was then analyzed using the conventional content analysis approach. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that almost 90% of the participants were against distance education, but firm supporters of face-to-face education.

Highlights

  • Technological devices and the Internet have become an integral part of our lives, changing many of our habits and daily routines. This change became more rapid and intense during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic when countries compulsorily locked down their populations in an attempt to impede or halt the spread of the novel coronavirus

  • The current study aimed to reveal the views and evaluations of university students towards distance education since the beginning of the pandemic

  • From the results of the study, it can be concluded that almost 90% of the participants were against distance education, but firm supporters of face-to-face education

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Summary

Introduction

Technology touches on multiple and diverse areas of life and, during the past two decades in particular, it has changed multiple aspects of human life. As a result of technology, people are able to conduct much of their life online; and a significant change has been seen in education. Many schools and universities had already launched distance education programs long before the COVID-19 pandemic took ahold. Virtually all schools and universities were closed worldwide. During this period, almost every student experienced distance education in some form. Research studies on the effects of the pandemic on education have started to be published. The current study is one of the most recent, with its objective being to reveal the views and evaluations of university students regarding distance education since the start of the pandemic. It is anticipated that the findings of the current study could assist other universities and higher education institutions with their educational planning

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