Online Learning Perceptions amid COVID-19 Pandemic: The Engineering Undergraduates' Perspective

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused face-to-face education in just about all universities worldwide to shift to online education. For most students, this educational model was a compulsory first experience. In this study, the survey results are analyzed and discussed related to a group of students in the Engineering Faculty of a university in Turkey regarding their online education perceptions. Briefly summarized, the findings of the study indicate that: (a) most of the students still prefer face-to-face learning, which is also favored if accompanied by distance learning; (b) the concentration level of the students has dropped due to the concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic which affects their learning negatively; and (c) around half of the students participating in the study feel that the online exams conducted without a secure exam software, is considered unsafe. Additionally, the study's results were further extended to evaluate the questionnaire results and reported along with the suggestions of necessary actions in emergency online learning (EOL).