The difference in views of educators and students on Forced Online Distance Education can lead to unintentional side effects

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the different views of educators and students on Forced Online Distance Education during the Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lock-down. Such differences in views can be a source of misunderstanding, leading to unintended side effects. Online open-ended surveys resulted in 1341 comments received from 210 university educators and 347 students. The coding, based on the principles of Grounded Theory, resulted in 35 concepts, organized into 6 categories. The main findings were that students and educators shared most of the negative and positive views; however, there exist unique views that are not shared between the two groups. The negative views outweigh the positive ones, and educators are more negative than students. The category 'Perceived usefulness' is the most positive and 'Technology' the most negative category. Positive views were attributed to the quality of life, not the quality of the study. The most important contribution of the work to the existing body of knowledge is the comparative analysis of the unconstrained views of students and their educators about Online Learning Environments (OLE) as the workhorse of Forced Online Distance Education (FODE). The results of this study can be helpful for institutional evaluators, since they reveal undesirable side effects that are usually overlooked. The study brings a new, deeper look at Forced Online Distance Education and the non-neutral role of digital technology in it.