Evaluation of student’s perception and attitudes towards switching from in-class to online teaching in the era of COVID-19

Abstract

Worldwide, the focus on online learning during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic faced many challenges. The present study aimed to  evaluate the preferences, perceptions, and attitudes of university students toward various strategies of learning. A pre-piloted cross- sectional survey was posted on the internet in Arabic and English language. Questions covered the demographical characteristics of the  participants and their preferences and perceptions of various learning strategies. We received 270 questionnaires from various countries.  The majority (n=199, 73.7%) of respondents were from the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, with n=125 (46.3%)  participants from the College of Pharmacy. The majority (n=198, 73.0%) of respondents were females, Arabs (n=262, 97.0%), living with  their families (n=208, 77.0%), and with only the father working (n=174, 64.0%). Preference was, for online learning (n=145, 53.7%) as  compared to inclass learning (n=119, 44.1%). More students (n=110, 40.7%) claimed improvement in their grades with online learning but  62 of students (23.0%) stated that their grades were worsened. Student’s performance in online exams was similar to that in paper  exams. The majority (n=168, 62.2%) of students claimed that their overall expectations of online learning were not the same as those for  in-class learning. 50.0%-60.0% of respondents believed that in-class learning allows them to learn more effectively, and achieve the best  work preparation, best exam performance, and best education value, and they were more likely to recommend it. Despite the  disadvantages of online learning, it remains the future strategy for higher education. Appropriate planning of courses, and helping  students by reducing digital inequity, if any, would certainly prove satisfactory for the millennial generation of students.