E-Learning and Blended Learning Methodologies Used in Universities During and After COVID-19

Abstract

Educational process has changed from face to face to online as a response to COVID-19 pandemic, where various e-learning platforms were used in different universities. E-learning platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Moodle, and Google Classrooms provide different features that may be helpful during the pandemic. In this research, the number of registered students and the activities on e-learning platforms before, during, and after the pandemic are compared in Hashemite University as a case study. The students’ preferred learning type is studied with respect to two factors; gender and educational level. The data was gathered by allowing students to fill an online questionnaire with eight study groups of questions. Then, statistical analysis tests are used to analyze the results of the questionnaire. Three learning types are included in our study; face-to-face, blended, and online learning. The results show that the interaction between students and their lecturers has increased by more than 90% across all platforms at the Hashemite University during the pandemic while it has increased by 64% with the Moodle platform. The students' preference is also investigated according to the courses’ categories; remedial materials, collage requirements, specialization materials, and free materials. The results show that students preferred online learning for remedial and free materials, with percentage values of 75% and 57%, respectively, but face-to-face learning is chosen for collage requirements and specialization materials, with percentage values of 54% and 78%, respectively.