ABSTRACT
Background: Like many international universities and institutions of higher education that have shifted the entire educational system from the traditional face-to-face education model to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, universities in Saudi Arabia have expended great effort to change the behavior of educators and students to accommodate the transition. This rapid shift has had a significant impact on students, especially in programs such as interior design, in which different practical courses are taught along with the theoretical ones. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the benefits and challenges senior interior design students experienced while taking their classes online.
Design and Methods: The current paper has adopted a qualitative approach for assessing the data obtained. Semi-structured interview was used to collect all the needed information regarding participants’ opinions about distance learning.
Results: Increased time to spend on assignments, reduction of costs to the student, and improvement in achievement of learning outcomes were the three main benefits students reported in their experience of distance learning. On the other hand, technical issues, changes in grade distribution, and changes in project types were identified as student concerns. Although students found many advantages in communicating with others remotely, some issues arose.
Conclusions: Students expressed a preference for the hybrid learning method, or at least for having their exams, juries, and presentations on campus in person, not remotely.
REFERENCES
Naser AY, Dahmash EZ, Al-Rousan R, et al. Mental health status of the general population, healthcare professionals, and university students during 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak in Jordan: A cross‐sectional study. Brain Behav 2020;10:1–13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1730
Krishnamurthy S. The Future of business education: A commentary in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic. J Bus Res 2020;117;1-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.034
Sundarasen S, Chinna K, Kamaludin K, et al. Psychological Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown among University Students in Malaysia: Implications and Policy Recommendations. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17:6206. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176206
World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): situation report, 82.
Ana A, Minghat AD, Purnawarman P, et al. Students’ Perceptions of the Twists and Turns of E-learning in the Midst of the Covid 19 Outbreak. Romanian J Multidim Educ 2020;12:15–26.
Carolan C, Davies CL, Crookes P, et al. COVID 19: Disruptive impacts and transformative opportunities in undergraduate nurse education. Nurse Educ Pract 2020;46:102807. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102807
Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Leading efforts to combat coronavirus pandemic. Accessed: August 14, 2020. Available from:
Geddie JS, Sipalan J. To mask or not to mask: Confusion spreads over coronavirus protection. Journal of Public Health Research 2020. Accessed: August 20, 2020. Available from: https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-masks-safety/to-mask-or-not-to-mask-confusion-spreads-over-coronavirus-protection-idUKKBN1ZU0PH
Al-Mala AH. Student perceptions of quality e-learning: An analytical case study of a two-year public community college in Virginia, United Sates of America. Dirasat Educ Sci 2007;34:781–91.
Saudi Press Agency. The Ministry of Education is facing the conditions of “Corona” and ends its school year with success, achieving unprecedented numbers in distance education. 2020. Accessed: August 23, 2020. Available from: https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=ar&newsid=2087174
Meyer KA, Wilson JL. The role of online learning in the emergency plans of flagship institutions. Online J Distance Learning Admin 2011;14.
Ekmekci O, Bergstrand J. Agility in higher education: Planning for business continuity in the face of an H1N1 pandemic. SAM Adv Manag J 2010;75:20–30.
Hossain SF, Shan X, Nurunnabi M. Is M-learning a challenge? Students attitudes toward the sustainable learning and performance. Int J e-Collab 2019;15:21-37.
Bender DM. Interior design faculty intentions to adopt distance education. J Interior Design 2003;29:66-81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1668.2003.tb00385.x
Dos Santos HL, Cechinel C. The final year project supervision in online distance learning: assessing students and faculty perceptions about communication tools. Behav Inform Technol 2019; 38:65–84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2018.1514423
Behar-Horenstein LS, Niu L. Teaching critical thinking skills in higher education: A review of the literature. J Coll Teach Learn 2011;8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19030/tlc.v8i2.3554
Yamagata-Lynch LC. Blending online asynchronous and synchronous learning. Int Rev Res Open Distance Learn 2014;15:189–212. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v15i2.1778
Hossain SF, Xi Z, Nurunnabi M, Anwar B. Sustainable academic performance in higher education: a mixed method approach. Interact Learn Environ 2019:1-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1680392
Sadykova G, Meskill C. The presentation of self in everyday ether: a corpus analysis of student self-tellings in online graduate courses. Online Learn 2019;23:5–21.
Afacan Y. Exploring the effectiveness of blended learning in interior design education. Innov Educ Teach Int 2016;53:508–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2015.1015595
Groves MM, Zemel PC. Instructional technology adoption in higher education: An action research case study. Int J Instruct Media 2000;27:57-65.
Shea P, Hayes S, Smith SU, et al. Online learner self-regulation: learning presence viewed through quantitative content- and social network analysis. Int Rev Res Open Distance Learn 2013;14:427–61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v14i3.1466
Hossain SF, Nurunnabi M, Hussain K, et al. Effects of variety-seeking intention by mobile phone usage on university students’ academic performance. Cogent Educ 2019;6:1574692. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1574692
Islam MA, Rahim NAA, Liang TC, Momtaz H. Effect of demographic factors on e-learning effectiveness in a higher learning institution in Malaysia. Int Educ Studies 2011;4:112–21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v4n1p112
Fariborzi E, Bakar K bt A. Factors influencing the effectiveness of courses in Iranian university e-learning centers. Int J Technol Knowledge Soc 2010;6:71–80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/1832-3669/CGP/v06i01/56057
Moore JC. The Sloan Consortium quality framework and the five pillars. 2005. The Sloan Consortium. Available from: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=AB830A35E56121F2F18BAEDC1B347BB1?doi=10.1.1.593.4504&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Cheurprakobkit S, Hale DF, Olson JN. Technicians' perceptions about Web-based courses: The University of Texas system experience. Am J Dist Educ 2002;16:245-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15389286AJDE1604_4
Margalina VM, De-Pablos-Heredero C, Montes-Botella JL. Achieving quality in e-learning through relational coordination. Stud Higher Educ 2017;42:1655–70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1113953
Cho J, Cho M-H. Student perceptions and performance in online and offline collaboration in an interior design studio. Int J Technol Design Educ 2014;24:473–91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-014-9265-0
Seitamaa-Hakkarainen P, Raunio AM, Raami A, et al. Computer support for collaborative designing. Int J Technol Design Educ 2001;11:181-202. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011277030755
Odriozola-González P, Planchuelo-Gómez Á, Irurtia MJ, de Luis-García R. Psychological effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown among students and workers of a Spanish university. Psychiat Res 2020:113108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113108
Nurunnabi M, Hossain SF, Chinna K, et al. Coping strategies of students for anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: a cross-sectional study. F1000Res 2020;9:1115. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.25557.1
Valkenburg P, Peter J. Internet communication and its relation to well-being: Identifying some underlying mechanisms. Media Psychol 2007;9:43–58. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15213260709336802
Moody EJ. Internet use and its relationship to loneliness. Cyberpsychol Behav 2001;4:393–401. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/109493101300210303
Morgan C, Cotten SR. The relationship between internet activities and depressive symptoms in a sample of college freshmen. Cyberpsychol Behav 2003;6:133–42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/109493103321640329
Nalwa K, Anand AP. Internet addiction in students: a cause of concern. Cyberpsychol Behav 2003;6:653–6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/109493103322725441
Greenfield DN. Psychological characteristics of compulsive internet use: A preliminary analysis. Cyberpsychol Behav 2000;5:403–12.
Morahan-Martin J, Schumacher P. Incidence and correlates of pathological internet use among college students. Comput Hum Behav 2000;16:13–29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(99)00049-7
Bao Y, Sun Y, Meng S, et al. 2019-nCoV epidemic: address mental health care to empower society. Lancet 2020;395:e37-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30309-3
Wang G, Zhang, Wang G, et al. Mitigate the effects of home confinement on children during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet 2020;395:945-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30547-X
Cornine A. Reducing nursing student anxiety in the clinical setting: An integrative review. Nurs Educ Perspect 2020;41:229–34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000633
Ayittey FK, Ayittey MK, Chiwero NB, et al. Economic impacts of Wuhan 2019‐nCoV on China and the world. J Med Virol 2020;92:473-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.25706
Xiao H, Zhang Y, Kong D, et al. The effects of social support on sleep quality of medical stafftreating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January and February 2020 in China. Med Sci Monit 2020;26:e923549-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.923921
Weng C, Tsai C-C, Weng A. Social support as a neglected E-learning motivator affecting trainee’s decisions of continuous intentions of usage. Australasian J Educ Technol 2015;31:177–92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1311
Burcin MM, Armstrong SN, Early JO, Godwin H. Optimizing college health promotion in the digital age: Comparing perceived well-being, health behaviors, health education needs and preferences between college students enrolled in fully online verses campus-based programs. Health Promot Persp 2019;9:270–8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15171/hpp.2019.37
Read MA, Upington D. Young children’s color preferences in the interior environment. Early Childhood Educ J 2009;36:491-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-009-0311-6
Boyatzis RE. Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Thousand Oak: Sage; 1998.
Silva J, Oliveira F, Mourao L. [Uma comparação entre cursos a distância e presencial].[Article in Portuguese]. Proceedings of the 18 Congresso Internacional ABED de Educação a Distância “Histórias, Analiticas e Pensamento Aberto” Guias para o Futuro da EAD, São Luís – Maranhão, 2012.
Swan K. Learning effectiveness online: What the research tells us. Elements of quality online education, practice and direction 2003;4:13-47.
Andrade MS. Higher education access and success through distance English language learning. Athens J Educ 2014;1:211–21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.1-3-2
Graham CR. Blended learning systems. In: Bonk JB, Graham CR, editors. The handbook of blended learning: Global perspectives, local designs. Pfeiffer & Co.; 2006. p. 3-21.