Technology-mediated higher education provision during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative assessment of engineering student experiences and sentiments

Abstract

The advent of COVID-19 at the beginning of 2020 put universities worldwide into one of the most significant educational disruptions ever experienced. The unrelenting pandemic forced universities to turn to technology to ensure continuity of education. This abruptly changed learning modes for students, with potential implications on the quality of education and the student experience. Therefore, it became necessary to study experiences and sentiments toward learning under the pandemic through the lens of students. Perspectives on the new norm of learning can shed more light on digital technology’s roles in learning. The new understanding is potentially useful for conceptualizing future technology-mediated higher education provision. This study follows qualitative research approaches, engaging eleven postgraduate students in three U.K. universities for in-depth semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis is adopted, interpreting sentiments into three interchangeable themes. The findings show that learning during the pandemic has raised many concerns for the future adaptations of online learning. A key finding from this study is that students are generally disappointed by their experiences of online learning effectiveness during the pandemic. One reason for this disappointment is the absence of adequate interactions amongst students due to the reduction in informal student engagement opportunities. The study also suggests that educators need to rethink current technology-mediated education delivery approaches to ensure effective learning. Similarly, students also need to be flexible and openminded, enabling them to adapt to the emerging higher education landscape.