PreprintPDF Available

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life of Higher Education Students: A Global Perspective

  • August 2020
DOI:10.20944/preprints202008.0246.v2
Authors:
Aleksander Aristovnik at University of Ljubljana
Aleksander Aristovnik
Damijana Keržič at University of Ljubljana
Damijana Keržič
Dejan Ravšelj at University of Ljubljana
Dejan Ravšelj
Nina Tomaževič at University of Ljubljana
Nina Tomaževič
Show all 5 authorsHide
Download file PDFDownload file PDF
Read file
Download citation

Abstract and Figures

The paper presents the most comprehensive and large-scale study to date on how students perceive the impacts of the first wave of COVID-19 crisis in early 2020 on various aspects of their lives on a global level. With a sample of 30,383 students from 62 countries, the study reveals that amid the worldwide lockdown and transition to online learning students were most satisfied with the support provided by teaching sta� and their universities’ public relations. Still, deficient computer skills and the perception of a higher workload prevented them from perceiving their own improved performance in the new teaching environment. Students were mainly concerned about issues to do with their future professional career and studies, and experienced boredom, anxiety, and frustration. The pandemic has led to the adoption of particular hygienic behaviours (e.g., wearing masks, washing hands) and discouraged certain daily practices (e.g., leaving home, shaking hands). Students were also more satisfied with the role played by hospitals and universities during the epidemic compared to the governments and banks. The findings also show that students with certain socio-demographic characteristics (male, part-time, first-level, applied sciences, a lower living standard, from Africa or Asia) were significantly less satisfied with their academic work/life during the crisis, whereas female, full-time, first-level students and students faced with financial problems were generally a�ected more by the pandemic in terms of their emotional life and personal circumstances. Key factors influencing students’ satisfaction with the role of their university are also identified. Policymakers and higher education institutions around the world may benefit from these findings while formulating policy recommendations and strategies to support students during this and any future pandemics.
Figures - uploaded by Aleksander Aristovnik
Author content
All figure content in this area was uploaded by Aleksander Aristovnik
Content may be subject to copyright.
sustainability-12-08438-v4
-1.pdf
Content uploaded by Aleksander Aristovnik
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Aleksander Aristovnik on Oct 30, 2020
Content may be subject to copyright.
preprints202008.0246.
v2.pdf
Content uploaded by Aleksander Aristovnik
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Aleksander Aristovnik on Aug 19, 2020
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
... The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an extensive number of publications concerning its impact on the general education sector, particularly concerning the use of distance education, including mobile learning (Naciri et al., 2020), offline learning (Anwar and Adnan, 2020), virtual class rooms (Alhat, 2020), E-learning (Soni, 2020), student perceptions (Biswas et al., 2020), student life (Aristovnik et al., 2020), and the role of teachers (Hosan et al., 2020). It is beyond the scope of our literature review section to review all these studies. ...
View
... Outras pesquisas evidenciaram que o género feminino foi mais propenso a sofrimento psicológico durante a COVID-19 com altos níveis de ansiedade e depressão (Aristovnik et al., 2020;Silva et al., 2020;Vale, 2021;Chen & Lucock, 2022). ...
Saúde mental dos estudantes de enfermagem do Instituto Politécnico de Santarém durante a pandemia de COVID-19
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2023
Introdução: A pandemia do coronavírus (COVID-19) no ensino superior causou consequências perturbadoras na vida e na saúde mental dos estudantes. Pretendemos avaliar os níveis de ansiedade, depressão e stress dos estudantes de enfermagem do Instituto Politécnico de Santarém. Método: Estudo exploratório, observacional descritivo e correlacional. Estudantes: 183 estudantes, selecionados por amostragem de conveniência. Instrumento de medida: Escala de Ansiedade, Depressão e Stress - EADS-21 validada para a população portuguesa, aplicada entre 19 de novembro e 4 de dezembro de 2020. Os dados recolhidos foram analisados com o Software IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, versão 27.0. Conclusões: Os achados mostraram que a maioria dos estudantes apresentou um nível normal de depressão (82,5%), ansiedade (88,0%) e stress (94,0%). Cerca de 1,6% dos estudantes relataram nível moderado de stress; 5,5% e 1,6% um nível moderado e grave, respetivamente, de ansiedade e 6% e 0,5% depressão um nível moderado e grave, na devida ordem. Foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre as médias (teste t de Student) na comparação entre género (p < 0,001), com os maiores scores, nas três dimensões, no género feminino que apresentou mais stress (M = 7,59 + 4,728), depressão (M = 5,83 + 4,503) e ansiedade (M =3,87 + 3,869), ou seja, os estados afetivos do género feminino foram mais negativos.
View
Incorporating Virtual Problem-Based Learning in Instrumental Chemistry during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented substantial challenges to higher education, leading to economic loss and disruptions in STEM courses. This study addresses these issues through the successful implementation of a problem-based learning research project within the Instrumental Chemistry course at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC). Focused on instrumental chemistry, the project spans various categories, requiring students to propose solutions to real-case scenarios using specific analytical instruments. Despite the shift to a hybrid teaching modality, students exhibited commendable preparation and investigation skills, as demonstrated by their projects. Assessment data, including a student survey and written report evaluations, underscore significant skill improvements in literature survey, instrument selection, experimental design, and data analysis. This problem-based learning approach not only mitigated the disruptions caused by the pandemic but also fostered enhanced capabilities and motivation among students. The study’s findings contribute insights into the adaptability and effectiveness of problem-based learning in analytical chemistry education within a hybrid teaching framework, offering valuable considerations for future educational strategies in STEM disciplines and beyond.
View
“A Common Danger Unites”: Reflecting on Lecturers’ Higher Education Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic Using an Ethnographic Fictional Analysis
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2023
The sudden transition of Higher Education (HE) from predominately face-to-face to online delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns placed many lecturers in unfamiliar situations. This study aimed to explore and represent the experiences of lecturers working in HE during this time. We used a storytelling approach to represent an amalgamation of experiences collated from lecturers. Data were collected using (i) a focus group interview, (ii) reflections on our experiences, and (iii) experiences alluded to by academics via online blogs. The data were presented using an ethnographic fiction. Salient experiences detailed throughout the ethnographic fiction include (i) challenges building a community between colleagues, academics, and students; (ii) concerns regarding the capacity of institutions and staff to deliver online; (iii) a lack of synergy between the expectations of staff to fulfil duties and the reality of being able to do so in time; (iv) the challenges of engaging students; (v) concerns regarding the accessibility of online learning for a diverse body of students; and (vi) challenges with work–life balance. The ethnographic fiction provides a voice for HE lecturers who candidly shared their experiences of working during the pandemic. Stakeholders are encouraged to develop their own interpretations of the story and apply these to policy and practice.
View
View
Orthodox versus Virtual Approach in the Administration of a Battery of Physical Fitness Tests in the Higher Education Context
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2023
PFTs for both traditional and virtual approaches have been shown to be effective in several scientific studies. Over five weeks, this study compared the two PFT administration methods. Participants’ post-test scores were used to evaluate both procedures. The participants were divided into two groups. The battery of PFTs includes the hexagonal test, Plank test, Hand-wall test, Stork-balance test, and Vertical jump. One of these exams will be given weekly for five weeks to each student. Obtained data were processed via IBM SPSS 27. The profile and results of the selected PFTs were interpreted using descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Additionally, Independent samples and Paired t-test were performed to determine the variance between the approaches in the administration of PFTs. All selected PFTs performed similarly for both approaches. Interestingly, both treatments showed considerable BMI change. Virtual administration of selected PFTs is modestly significant compared to traditional administration. Finally, the effectiveness of both approaches was not significantly different. Even though traditional is slightly higher than virtual one. Both procedures work well for college students, and the physical fitness assessments can be utilized repeatedly. This study discusses limitations and further research.
View
An exploratory study of the experiences of emergency medical care (EMC) students transitioning through the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2023
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic coalesced into increased mental health problems, particularly anxiety, stress, and depression for university students. Students from the emergency medical care (EMC) department encountered these difficulties, more intensely, particularly those in WIL or clinical placements, as they worked at the interface of illness, trauma, and grief during the pandemic. While empirical research has burgeoned in relation to healthcare practitioners within this context, little exists on EMC students at South African higher education institutions (HEIs), within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study aimed to explore the academic and psychosocial challenges experienced by EMC students, as they transitioned through the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown during 2021. MATERIALS AND METHODS A qualitative approach with an exploratory descriptive design was used to guide the study. A sample of students from all levels of the EMC Department in the Faculty of Health Sciences was recruited. This was done using non-probability sampling techniques, which includes purposive sampling. Data saturation was reached after interviewing 15 participants using a virtual platform. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Our results revealed five broad themes and six subthemes which reflected the psychosocial experiences that EMC students faced. The themes and (subthemes) included encountering COVID-19 during WIL or clinical, infection or loss of loved ones, psychological effects of living and working at the interface of COVID-19 (negative emotional toll of the pandemic, misinformation, isolation and social disconnectedness, and sense of responsibility/duty to work) and disruption to academic life (online learning challenges and challenges related to clinical training experiences) and financial impact of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggested that there is a critical need for HEIs to develop strategies that ensure EMC students’ well-being amidst their academic journey within the context of the pandemic. This study will therefore assist EMC departments at higher education institutions to formulate strategies in relation to the pandemic.
View
Students’ Learning Behaviour in Programming Education Analysis: Insights from Entropy and Community Detection
Article
Full-text available
The high dropout rates in programming courses emphasise the need for monitoring and understanding student engagement, enabling early interventions. This activity can be supported by insights into students’ learning behaviours and their relationship with academic performance, derived from student learning log data in learning management systems. However, the high dimensionality of such data, along with their numerous features, pose challenges to their analysis and interpretability. In this study, we introduce entropy-based metrics as a novel manner to represent students’ learning behaviours. Employing these metrics, in conjunction with a proven community detection method, we undertake an analysis of learning behaviours across higher- and lower-performing student communities. Furthermore, we examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these behaviours. The study is grounded in the analysis of empirical data from 391 Software Engineering students over three academic years. Our findings reveal that students in higher-performing communities typically tend to have lower volatility in entropy values and reach stable learning states earlier than their lower-performing counterparts. Importantly, this study provides evidence of the use of entropy as a simple yet insightful metric for educators to monitor study progress, enhance understanding of student engagement, and enable timely interventions.
View
Exploring Effective Physics Teaching Strategies in High Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2023
The need for educational approaches that comply with the restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic has raised a number of critical issues for students of different age groups. The delicate transition between high school and university has become a key point to focus on, leading many institutions to replan projects dedicated to students involved in this transition. A Physics vocational training project for high school students was carried out in the school year 2020–2021, and it was replicated in the school year 2021–2022. The project included webinars, self-assembled laboratory group experiences, and peer evaluation. The starting point on which we designed our project is that learning is an experience; thus, we built the entire project by particularly focusing on two peculiarities. One peculiarity is the assessment methods: student presentations describing their own experiences were evaluated by teachers and their peers. The second peculiarity is the open approach with respect to how students handle experimental activities. We present a description of these projects along with the results of an evaluation survey filled out by the participants and a descriptive analysis of the assessment strategies. Students appreciated the design of the entire project and, better still, the peer evaluation process. Moreover, we discovered that the evaluation provided by the teachers is lower compared to the assessment reported by the students. This disparity holds potential significance from a statistical perspective and warrants further investigation.
View
Research Thesis for Undergraduate Engineering Programs in the Digitalization Era: Learning Strategies and Responsible Research Conduct Road to a University Education 4.0 Paradigm
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2023
Many university students have doubts about how or where to start writing their undergraduate thesis work; it is common not to be clear how to identify a research problem or even towards which topic their research is oriented, and there are doubts about how to process and systematize so much information available in the era of digitalization. This article presents learning strategies to formulate a research thesis for engineering undergraduate programs, with an emphasis on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) toward a University Education 4.0 paradigm. The main themes and issues discussed in this article, carried out through learning strategies for students based on the scientific method, are the following: (i) Recommendations for choosing a research topic, (ii) Guidelines for problem identification and question research, (iii) Suggestions for choosing a thesis advisor, (iv) Instructions for finding suitable sources of information, (v) Structure of the table of contents for writing the thesis manuscript, and (vi) Indications for preparing an oral defense of thesis research. This article highlights recommendations and precautions directed towards professors and students with the use of the chatbot-type artificial intelligence (AI) tool called ChatGPT for the formulation of the thesis under a responsible conduct approach in research. This article concludes that the application of tutoring/guidance strategies between professors and students requires an adequate ethical use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) during the development of a research thesis to generate a comprehensive educational environment that encourages research and develops a sustainable learning process in the context of the University Education 4.0 paradigm.
View
Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Life of Higher Education Students: Global Survey Dataset from the First Wave
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has completely reshaped the lives of people around the world, including higher education students. Beyond serious health consequences for a proportion of those directly affected by the virus, the pandemic holds important implications for the life and work of higher education students, considerably affecting their physical and mental well-being. To capture how students perceived the first wave of the pandemic's impact, one of the most comprehensive and large-scale online surveys across the world was conducted. Carried out between 5 May 2020 and 15 June 2020, the survey came at a time when most countries were experiencing the arduous lockdown restrictions. The online questionnaire was prepared in seven different languages (English, Italian, North Macedonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Turkish) and covered various aspects of higher education students’ life, including socio-demographic and academic characteristics, academic life, infrastructure and skills for studying from home, social life, emotional life and life circumstances. Using the convenience sampling method, the online questionnaire was distributed to higher education students aged 18 and over and enrolled in a higher education institution. The final dataset consisted of 31,212 responses from 133 countries and 6 continents. The relationships between selected socio-demographic characteristics and elements of student life were tested by using a chi-squared test. The data may prove useful for researchers studying the pandemic's impacts on various aspects of student life. Policymakers can utilize the data to determine the best solutions as they formulate policy recommendations and strategies to support students during this and any future pandemic.
View
Influence of COVID-19 confinement on students' performance in higher education
Article
Full-text available
This study analyzes the effects of COVID-19 confinement on the autonomous learning performance of students in higher education. Using a field experiment with 458 students from three different subjects at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), we study the differences in assessments by dividing students into two groups. The first group (control) corresponds to academic years 2017/2018 and 2018/2019. The second group (experimental) corresponds to students from 2019/2020, which is the group of students that had their face-to-face activities interrupted because of the confinement. The results show that there is a significant positive effect of the COVID-19 confinement on students' performance. This effect is also significant in activities that did not change their format when performed after the confinement. We find that this effect is significant both in subjects that increased the number of assessment activities and subjects that did not change the student workload. Additionally, an analysis of students' learning strategies before confinement shows that students did not study on a continuous basis. Based on these results, we conclude that COVID-19 confinement changed students' learning strategies to a more continuous habit, improving their efficiency. For these reasons, better scores in students' assessment are expected due to COVID-19 confinement that can be explained by an improvement in their learning performance.
View
View
Impact of Covid-19 on Pharmacy Students in India
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Jul 2020
The world is suffering from the Coronavirus pandemic and is undergoing some drastic changes in day to day lives. The survey was conducted to analyze the situation of Pharmacy students in India. What are the types of challenges being faced by them during this lockdown due to the Pandemic COVID-19 and how are they getting adapted to the situations? A cross sectional survey was conducted via snowball sampling technique in which 226 participants submitted their response. The chief issue of concern to students was the change in the study pattern which has made the process much difficult for both the faculties and students. Online examination was also be reported as a point of concern. The normal life that we used to have is not acceptable in today’s scenario, hence, the institutions have to make the students more comfortable and adaptable towards the online studies and make the most out of it.
View
Students under lockdown: Comparisons of students’ social networks and mental health before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Switzerland
Article
Full-text available
This study investigates students’ social networks and mental health before and at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, using longitudinal data collected since 2018. We analyze change on multiple dimensions of social networks (interaction, friendship, social support, co-studying) and mental health indicators (depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness) within two cohorts of Swiss undergraduate students experiencing the crisis (N = 212), and make additional comparisons to an earlier cohort which did not experience the crisis (N = 54). In within-person comparisons we find that interaction and co-studying networks had become sparser, and more students were studying alone. Furthermore, students’ levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness, and depressive symptoms got worse, compared to measures before the crisis. Stressors shifted from fears of missing out on social life to worries about health, family, friends, and their future. Exploratory analyses suggest that COVID-19 specific worries, isolation in social networks, lack of interaction and emotional support, and physical isolation were associated with negative mental health trajectories. Female students appeared to have worse mental health trajectories when controlling for different levels of social integration and COVID-19 related stressors. As universities and researchers discuss future strategies on how to combine on-site teaching with online courses, our results indicate the importance of considering social contacts in students’ mental health and offer starting points to identify and support students at higher risk of social isolation and negative psychological effects during the COVID-19 pandemic.
View
Digital readiness and its effects on higher education student socio-emotional experiences in the context of COVID-19 pandemic
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Jul 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic had a strong impact on higher education in 2020. Worldwide, universities developed and implemented online courses for distance learning within a relatively short amount of time. The current study investigated how ready students were for this exceptional situation and how their readiness for digital learning influenced their socio-emotional experiences. N = 1,826 students from across all institutional faculties of a German comprehensive university took part in the online survey immediately before the semester began. Results indicate that, on average, higher education students seem to be ready for digital learning. A k-means cluster analysis revealed two groups of students that significantly differed with respect to their readiness for digital learning (in terms of technological equipment, prior experiences with e-learning, and skills for digital learning). Finally, students’ socio-emotional experiences, that is, their perceived stress, their work-life-balance as well as social and emotional loneliness significantly differed due to their cluster membership. Hence, the study points to the need to support higher education students in successfully coping with the challenges of emergency remote studying.
View
Studying During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Inductive Content Analysis of Nursing Students’ Perceptions and Experiences
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2020
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the latest pandemic with a high rate of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Crises like these can harm the academic functioning and psychophysical health of nursing students. With this qualitative study, we aim to explore how students perceive the COVID-19 crisis and what their personal experiences were while studying during the global pandemic. In the study, data saturation was achieved after analyzing the reports of 33 undergraduate nursing students, using the inductive thematic saturation method. Data were collected using an online form, which students filled out, describing their perceptions and experiences. Qualitative inductive content analysis of students’ reports resulted in 29 codes, indicating different student perceptions of the efficiency of state institutions in crises. All students described the spread of misinformation on social networks and the risky behavior of the population. Most are afraid of infection and worried about the well-being of their family, so they constantly apply protective measures. Students recognize their responsibility to the community and the importance and risks of the nursing profession. They also describe negative experiences with public transportation and residence in the student dorm. The fear of possible infection in the classroom is not significant, however, students are afraid of the clinical settings. Thirteen students reported difficulty in concentrating and learning, while all students praised teacher support and faculty work in this crisis.
View
Barriers to online learning in the time of COVID-19: A national survey of medical students in the Philippines
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Jul 2020
INTRODUCTION: In March 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced medical schools in the Philippines to stop face-to-face learning activities and abruptly shift to an online curriculum. This study aimed to identify barriers to online learning from the perspective of medical students in a developing country. METHOD: The authors sent out an electronic survey to medical students in the Philippines from 11 to 24 May 2020. Using a combination of multiple choice, Likert scale, and open-ended questions, the following data were obtained: demographics, medical school information, access to technological resources, study habits, living conditions, self-assessment of capacity for and perceived barriers to online learning, and proposed interventions. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Responses were compared between student subgroups using nonparametric tests. RESULTS: Among 3,670 medical students, 3,421 (93%) owned a smartphone and 3,043 (83%) had a laptop or desktop computer. To access online resources, 2,916 (79%) had a postpaid internet subscription while 696 (19%) used prepaid mobile data. Under prevailing conditions, only 1,505 students (41%) considered themselves physically and mentally capable of engaging in online learning. Barriers were classified under five categories: technological, individual, domestic, institutional, and community barriers. Most frequently encountered were difficulty adjusting learning styles, having to perform responsibilities at home, and poor communication between educators and learners. CONCLUSION: Medical students in the Philippines confronted several interrelated barriers as they tried to adapt to online learning. By implementing student-centered interventions, medical schools and educators play a significant role in addressing these challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
View
View
View