Distance learning during pandemic unsatisfactory: Study

Distance learning during pandemic unsatisfactory: Study

Muscat – A new study on the impact of distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic in higher education institutions in Oman has found that the overall experience of students was unsatisfactory.

The findings of the study revealed that students’ evaluation of the effectiveness of teaching and assessment methods was average during the pandemic, and that students were not satisfied with the support provided to them by the institutions.

The study, titled ‘Online education during COVID-19 outbreak – Colleges of Technology in Oman: Students’ perceptions and challenges’, was conducted by Manar al Aisri and Miada al Harthi from the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Ibra, in collaboration with their supervisor Dr Thuraya al Riyami.

Miada informed that their methodology included interviews and a questionnaire on the views of male and female students about teaching materials, lecturers, assessment, support provided by their university, and the challenges they encountered during online education during the pandemic. “Around 240 university students from different specialisations participated in the survey.”

According to Manar, students encountered several challenges during online education, “such as weak Internet connection and not having an atmosphere at home conducive to attending online classes”.

Recommending changes following their findings, Miada suggested providing distance education training to teaching staff