SHIFT BACK TO ON-SITE TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION – STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE
Keywords:
on-site teaching, remote teaching, higher education, students, experiences, preferences, post COVID-19Abstract
The present study focuses on students’ perception of learning and teaching in higher education after
returning back to on-site classes. Qualitative data are collected from questionnaires and interviews with students (N
94) at the University St. Kliment Ohridski - Bitola, North Macedonia, at the end of the summer semester 2022. The
main objective of this research is to identify students’ expectations, experiences and preferences about teaching
practices at tertiary level after experiencing both modes, remote and on-site instruction. The findings show that the
expectations were slightly different depending on whether students experienced pre-COVID tertiary education or
enrolled during the lockdown. The expectations for moving back to campus of the first group (N 39) were that inperson
teaching would be the same as pre COVID but more digitally enhanced. Their preferences for the future did
not change and do not defer from the preferences of the second group. The second group of students (N 55), after
going back to campus partly changed their preferences for future learning and teaching because their expectations of
in-person instruction are not met. They preferred the on-site mode and expected changes regarding the lack of
interaction with peers, lack of active engagement in class, of collaborative learning and the anxiety to speak in front
of the class, experienced in remote classes. Having the comparison students want more flexibility in learning and
teaching in general and would prefer blended learning involving both modes, on-site classes supplemented with
online activities, digital distribution of class materials as well as recorded lectures. For on-site classes they demand
active teaching methods, group assignments and interaction, support in student-teacher communication and thus a
student-centered approach. The results suggest that educators reproduced physical classroom approaches in remote
synchronous teaching and returned to well-known methods in the on-site mode. Referenced to other research, that
was caused by overload and tiredness of the educators who were forced to adapt to the emergency remote teaching
without professional assistance and training. To achieve sustainability of the educational process in higher education
students’ perspectives, preferences and performance need to be considered. Educational activities in on-site and
online teaching have to be adapted and re-adapted based on evidence, and have to foster engagement, encourage in
class communication and build relationships. To implement future effective solutions the educators need permanent
training and support with focus on pedagogical and digital methodologies.
References
Barbu, A., Popescu, M.A.M. & Moiceanu, G. (2022). Perspective of teachers and students towards the education process during COVID-19 in Romanian universities. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19(6), 3409. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063409
Bunescu, L. & Robinson Canham, A. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on access to online and offline education in the EaP countries. Brussels: Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.
Cickovska, E. (2020). Understanding and teaching Gen Z in higher education. Horizons, International scientific journal Series A - Social Sciences and Humanities, 26, 275-290. DOI 10.20544/HORIZONS.A.26.3.20.P22
Eringfeld, S. (2021). Higher education and its post-coronial future: utopian hopes and dystopian fears at Cambridge University during Covid-19, Studies in Higher Education, 46(1), 146-157. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1859681
EUA Briefing (2020). European higher education in the Covid-19 crisis. Brussels: EUA
Ezarik Melissa (2021, March 24) .COVID-Era College: Are Students Satisfied? Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/03/24/student-experiences-during-covid-and-campus-reopening-concerns
Gherhes, V., Stoian, C.E., Farcasiu, M.A., Stanici, M. (2021). E-Learning vs. Face-To-Face Learning: Analyzing Students’ Preferences and Behaviors. Sustainability 2021, 13, 4381. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084381
Guppy, N., Verpoorten, D., Boud, D., Lin, L., Tai, J. & Bartolic, S. (2022). The post‐COVID‐19 future of digital learning in higher education: Views from educators, students, and other professionals in six countries. British Journal of Educational Technology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13212
IAU (2020). COVID-19 impact on Higher Education: Institutional and Students’ Perspectives. Joint paper International Association of Universities and Erasmus Student Network. Paris: IAU
Jensen, T., Marinoni, G. & van’t Land, H. (2022). Higher Education One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic. Second IAU Global Survey Report. Paris: International Association of Universities.
Jiang, Y., Chen, Y., Lu, J. & Wang, Y. (2021). The Effect of the Online and Offline Blended Teaching Mode on English as a Foreign Language Learners’ Listening Performance in a Chinese Context. Front. Psychol. 12:742742. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.742742
Mali, D. & Lim, H. (2021). How do students perceive face-to-face/blended learning as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic? The International Journal of Management Education 19 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2021.100552
Miloshevska, L., Gajek, E., Džanić, N. & Hatipoğlu, Ç. (2020). Emergency online learning during the first Covid-19 period: students’ perspectives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Poland and Turkey. ExELL, 8(2), 110-143. https://doi.org/10.2478/exell-2021-0002
Rutherford, S., Ehlers, U., Zhang, T. (2022). Curriculum and assessment. Learning & Teaching Paper 16. Brussels: EUA European University Association.
Snelling, Ch. (2022, May 13) Lessons from the pandemic: making the most of technologies in teaching. Publications. Retrieved from https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-research/publications/lessons-pandemic-making-most
Zhang, T. (2022). National Developments in Learning and Teaching in Europe. Brussels: EUA European University Association.