Transition to online learning due to the outbreak of Coronavirus: students’ perceptions and perspectives.

Transition to online learning due to the outbreak of Coronavirus: students’ perceptions and perspectives.

This article aims to present findings of a survey conducted on Turkish students’ experiences of online learning in the wake of the outbreak of new coronavirus (COVID-19) around the globe. In the aftermath of the new coronavirus epidemic and the declaration of it as a pandemic by World Health Organization on March 11 (Iwai, 2020), universities across Turkey were closed in an attempt to slow down its spread. Education was shortly resumed, yet in new settings, as the learning was shifted to virtual classrooms. This was a sudden and unprecedented change for many learners in Turkey. Therefore, this paper intends to examine students’ perceptions as well as reactions to such an unforeseen and rapid transition to remote learning. The data obtained from 135 undergraduate students across different universities in Istanbul suggest mixed results. The negative experiences were mainly associated with technical issues, lack of real communication and difficulty with staying focused during online lessons. While convenience and flexibility were reported to as the biggest benefits to this mode of study.

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  • Reference: Prof. Dr. Veysel KILIÇ