Synchronized Online Learning during COVID-19 Outbreak: An Exploration of the University Students Experiences and Challenges

Vafa Asgarova; Muhammad Yasir Mustafa; Ali Gohar Qazi; Guoyuan SANG

Vafa Asgarova Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6260-5000
Muhammad Yasir Mustafa School of Educational Technology at Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University(BNU-SLI), Beijing, China https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0693-8126
Ali Gohar Qazi Institute for Educational Development, The Aga Khan University, Karachi-75950, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7241-9511
Guoyuan SANG Center for Teacher Education Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

Keywords: online learning; remote learning; COVID-19; student experiences; higher education institutions

Abstract

The recent COVID-19 global pandemic has created the largest disruptions in carrying out educational activities throughout the world. As a result of this unprecedented situation posed by COVID-19, educational institutions at all levels have been forced to take concerted efforts to maintain learning continuity by offering new possibilities of knowledge acquisition and transfer to students, predominantly using online or distance learning mode. In this paper, we present how university students experienced online learning mode and what major challenges, if any, students faced while learning from remote locations. The data were collected using semi-structured individual and focus-group interviews with ten students (residing in different countries including Azerbaijan, China, Ecuador, India, Pakistan, and the USA) who were enrolled in a synchronous online learning courses being offered by three different well-renowned universities in China. The analysis indicates that students’ general views were favorable with online learning mode during the pandemic. However, several challenges have been reported besides opportunities for online classes, which have been found and analyzed in the study. The conducted study intends to aid further studies, helping to improve the management of online learning at universities, as well as for teachers and the students.

Author Biographies

Vafa Asgarova, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

Vafa Asgarova is a PhD candidate in the Institute of International and Comparative Education, Beijing Normal University. She received her master’s degree in the major of Public Administration from Peking University in Beijing, China. Asgarova’s current research interests are student motivation, social and cultural issues in higher education. She has worked for public organizations and volunteered in different levels of educational institutions.

Muhammad Yasir Mustafa, School of Educational Technology at Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University(BNU-SLI), Beijing, China

Muhammad Yasir Mustafa, a Ph.D. scholar, having professional experience and demonstrated competences in Educational Technologies. He has worked for various national and international sector organizations in the field of education. Currently, he is doing his Ph.D. in Educational Technology (Focusing Hybrid Learning envoirnment for future Education) from the School of Educational Technology at Beijing Normal University, China. His Research Areas include Online merge offline (OMO) Learning, The Role of Gamification in Online education, Gamification in Learning Management Systems, Open Educational Resources(OER), and Social Learning Technologies as well as Teachers Professional Development.

Ali Gohar Qazi, Institute for Educational Development, The Aga Khan University, Karachi-75950, Pakistan

Ali Gohar Qazi, a Ph.D. scholar, specializes in the ed-tech field, having demonstrated expertise in ICT integration in Education from K-12 to higher studies. His professional work has been in the education sector with several donors (USAID, DFID) and non-profit organizations. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Education (concentration mobile learning) from AKU-IED, Karachi. His areas of interest include ICT for Education, the role of technology in primary and secondary Education, ICT in teachers’ professional development, blended and mobile learning.

Guoyuan SANG, Center for Teacher Education Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

Dr. Guoyuan Sang is currently a full professor in the Institute of Teacher Education Research, Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University. His research interests are: teacher education, ICT integration, teaching and learning theory, and educational anthropology. He published more than 40 research papers on teacher beliefs, teacher cognitions, and ICT integration etc. in SSCI (in English) & CSSCI (in Chinese) journals such as Computers and Education, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, and Asia-pacific Journal of Teacher Education.