Covid has pushed education online and I’ve been forced to abandon classroom teaching for now. But how do students feel about online learning? I interviewed 25 of my university pupils about their first semester of distance classes.
Do you prefer online learning or in-class learning?
75% of students indicated they preferred in-class learning. 25% of these said this was because it is easier to concentrate when they are in school. A similar number indicated they struggle to motivate themselves to study at home.
Other popular reasons for preferring classroom lessons include: “I miss the in-class discussions,” “Students don’t participate so much when they are online,” “There is a lack of instantaneous teacher feedback,” and “I hate staring at a computer all day.”
15% indicated they preferred online learning. The main reason cited was “no commute”. Other answers included: “I can plan my own schedule and use my time better,” and “It’s much easier to understand things when you can immediately check everything on a computer.”
The remaining 10% suggested there are advantages to both online learning and in-class learning, so they would prefer a mixture of both.
Takeaways:
Students much preferred face-to-face teaching. However, distance learning is in its infancy and teething problems are to be expected. It will be interesting to see what pupils say about online learning in a few years when everyone is more accustomed to it.
Do you enjoy video lessons (Zoom, Teams, etc)?
45% of students said they didn’t like video classes, citing connection issues and faulty technology. 25% mentioned they were too shy to speak, while others said: “It’s too chaotic,” “There is too much noise to concentrate,” “Shared dormitory rooms make it problematic”, and “Most students don’t participate.” 55% of students said they enjoyed video classes (but only if there were less than six students in a seminar).
The most popular reason for liking the online classes is “comfort”. Other reasons are: “Video classes are similar to in-class lessons,” “Video classes are better than exercises from a textbook,” “Unlike other forms of online learning, video classes make me feel like I’m truly in class.”
Takeaways:
Half seem keen on video classes, the rest complain they’re not worth the hassle. In my experience, online seminars are better than nothing, but lack the energy of real life class. Sessions become chaotic with more than five or six students, which is why so many teachers replace video calls with writing tasks.
What are the best things about online learning?
Over 80% mentioned increased freedom and time. 50% cited not having to commute. This was closely followed by “Studying online is more comfortable,” and “ I enjoy attending lessons in bed in my pyjamas.”
Other responses included: “No long breaks between classes,” “The option to record classes and re-watch them later to revise,” Drinking coffee whenever I want to,” “Waking up later,” “Not having to see people all the time,” and “It is’t just easier.”
Takeaways:
The advantages of online learning are obvious (file sharing, comfort, time saved on travel, etc), while the advantages of face-to-face classes are more subtle. It will be interesting to see if students pick up on these in the next section.
What were the worst things about online learning?
60% mentioned procrastination, 40% complained there was no one to help them to understand when they encountered problems, 30% mentioned technical problems, and a similar number pointed to a lack of communication from teachers.
Other reasons cited were: “There were more reading tasks,” “I don’t learn much when I can’t actively participate,” “I missed my classmates,” “There was a lack of human connection,” “Too much computer work gives me headaches,” and “ When you study online you basically learn nothing.”
Takeaways:
Lack of accountability (for both stuedents and teachers) was the key theme here. If online learning is to replace face-to-face classes, new modes of motivation are required.
What improvements can teachers make to their online teaching?
25% said they would appreciate more video calls, and a similar percentage wanted video calls cancelled altogether. Other answers included: “More pre-recorded lectures,” “Additional study materials to make up for the lost class time, “Replace frontal video lessons with videos/presentations that can get students’ interest,” “Teachers need to be more organised,” “There should be audioscripts for all lectures,” “Keep an eye on the students, many just start the online lesson and then go away.”
Takeaways:
Students want teachers to create better materials to use alongside the technology. Many teachers mistake online platforms (such as Teams) for the educational method, rather than the communication platform.
Would you like more or less online learning?
75% said they would like to see less online teaching. The most popular reasons were: “It’s difficult to motivate myself at home,” and “I like seeing people in person.” Other answers included: “I don’t like being at home all the time,” and “The quality of online classes is lower.”
15% said they would like to see more online teaching, mainly because the commute is time consuming and online learning is more convenient.
5% said they would prefer a combination of both on and offline classes (if lessons are recorded then students won’t miss anything when sick).
5% said they don’t care which method is used, but they would prefer one or the other: a mixture of online learning and offline learning is impossible to keep on top of.
Takeaways:
An interesting spread of results here. In the future, we’ll likely see a mix of online and offline classes, for example recording lectures and increased digital communication outside of the classroom.
Has anything surprised you about online learning?
Answers included: “You get more homework because teachers overcompensate,” “The technology is not ready and fails all the time,” “It was surprising how lazy I became,” “Studying online was almost like not studying at all”, “Sometimes there were more students present online than there would have been at school”, “It was similar to in-class learning,” “I have learnt more than usual because I didn’t waste any time between classes,” and “I never thought I’d actually want to go to school!”
Takeaways:
Many of these results are due to teething problems (teachers over/under compensating, faulty technology, etc.) Even with the chaotic nature of last semester, most students view online learning at least somewhat positively and seem open to integrating more technology into their studies.