Shift From a Traditional to a Distance Learning Environment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The paper reports a study aimed at investigating tertiary education students’ engagement and interactions in the traditional face-to-face learning environment and the sequentially applied distance online learning environment imposed by the sudden upsurge of a worldwide health emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020. The study took place in four distinct science learning communities formed by a total of 347 undergraduate students attending three different academic majors (Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Food Science and Technology) and 13 postgraduate students attending a Masters program related to Chemistry Education, in two Greek universities. The majority of the measured variables were shown to depend on the institution, the academic major, and the semester of study, although to a varying degree. Data analysis provided evidence for a statistically significant lower level of emotional engagement in the online relative to the traditional learning environment among the students of all three undergraduate learning communities. Multiple regression analysis showed that this documented decrease in students’ emotional engagement is largely explained by the concurrent decrease at the level of human interaction (either student–student or student–instructor) upon the passage from the traditional to the online learning environment.

Video Playback Speed Influence on Learning Effect From the Perspective of Personalized Adaptive Learning: A Study Based on Cognitive Load Theory

“…Previous studies have also examined the influence of playback speed on the learning effect (Pastore, 2010 ; Ritzhaupt et al, 2015 ). However, contrary to the findings of previous studies, the learning modes have been found to negatively change during the COVID-19 pandemic period (Salta et al, 2021 ). However, students are forced to adopt such unfamiliar method of learning online, which takes a lot of time and energy for them to get used to (Jin et al, 2021 ; Lin et al, 2021 ).…”

Research on the Mixed Education Mode for the Safety Engineering Major during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Epidemic

“…When instructors use interactive technology consistently and purposefully, students feel more connected to the instructor and their peers in an online course [ 39 ]. It is worth stating that the sudden shift in campus education from traditional face-to-face education to an online learning environment has also created challenges for higher education.…”

Availability and use of technology for e-learning: to what extent do these impact Bangladeshi university students? A cross-sectional study

“…Recently, various web-based free accessed platforms have been used to continue education ( Ali, Ramay, & Shahzad, 2011 ; Keskin & Yurdugül, 2020 ; Salta, Paschalidou, Tsetseri, & Koulougliotis, 2021 ). This virtual learning-enabled communication is convenient, especially for introverts ( Salta et al , 2021 ; Walker, Rossi, Anastasi, Gray-Ganter, & Tennent, 2016 ).…”

“…Recently, various web-based free accessed platforms have been used to continue education ( Ali, Ramay, & Shahzad, 2011 ; Keskin & Yurdugül, 2020 ; Salta, Paschalidou, Tsetseri, & Koulougliotis, 2021 ). This virtual learning-enabled communication is convenient, especially for introverts ( Salta et al , 2021 ; Walker, Rossi, Anastasi, Gray-Ganter, & Tennent, 2016 ). Nevertheless, obstacles remain in technological dilemmas, poor internet providers and limited adaptability, creating hurdles for the students ( Al-Amin et al , 2021 ; Katz, Jordan, & Ognyanova, 2021 ; Shaukat, Niazi, Qazi, & Basit, 2021 ).…”