Η διαδικτυακή μάθηση στην εποχή του Covid-19: Μελέτη περίπτωσης των στάσεων των σπουδαστών της Ακαδημίας Εμπορικού Ναυτικού

Abstract

In March 2020, social distancing measures were implemented due to the spread of coronavirus. This resulted in the temporary suspension of the operation of all Higher Education Institutions and of the Merchant Marine Academies. The training of the Merchant Marine Engineers in Greece takes place at the Merchant Marine Academies (MMA), where students are admitted through their participation in the nationwide examination system. The studies at the MMA include six semesters of theoretical training at the school premises through lectures and workshops and two semesters of marine practice on a ship with the sandwich-course training system.

MMA Macedonia replaced, within a short time, all forms of its learning activities with an online learning model. The school was compelled to move from "face to face" learning, an enrichment model, to a full e-learning model (Sofos, Kostas & Paraschou, 2015). According to the European terminology of education and training (CEDEFOP, 2014), e-learning is the form of learning which is supported by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and can be used as a tool for distance education, but also for the purpose of supporting "face to face" learning. In this specific context, the aim of the present study is to investigate the attitudes and views of the students of the Macedonia Merchant Marine Academy's Engineering School regarding the implementation of distance education during the covid -19 pandemic.

Before the pandemic, most higher education institutions were using a model enriching the face-to-face teaching with asynchronous learning, mostly through the use of some open e-Class platform. The period of the pandemic has been an unprecedented experience for all, with the universal application of distance learning putting forward more flexible educational possibilities and combining the synchronous with the asynchronous teaching and learning (Marinoni, Land, & Jensen, 2020). The International Association of Universities emphasizes also that the transition from the "face to face" to distance teaching has not taken place without challenges, the main ones being the access to technical infrastructure, the instructive competence for distance teaching, as well as the requirements that some specific areas of education may have.

A multitude of studies have shown that there is a cautious attitude on the part of both educators and learners towards the forced transition to distance teaching and learning, but, at the same time, that this is a great opportunity for the institutions to modernize and adapt to new facts and to the digital transformation of tertiary education. This situation has created a strong research interest in identifying the conditions that will improve the level of student satisfaction in this new learning environment, a factor that is considered very important for the success of e-learning (Adedoyin & Soykan,  2020; Arendale, 2020; Baber, 2020; Bao, 2020; Daniel, 2020; Hodges, Moore, Lockee, Trust, & Bond, 2020; Dilmaç, 2020; Rohman, Sudjimat, Sugandi, & Nurhadi, 2020; Strielkowski, Volchik, Maskaev, & Savko, 2020).

Webster & Hackley (1997) arrived very early at the conclusion that the overall success of the online education depends on the attitudes of students and teachers regarding interactive teaching styles, but also on their experience and attitude with respect to technology. Online learning is entirely dependent on technological equipment and on the internet, and their provision has been a major challenge for institutions, teachers and students in the era of coronavirus (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020). Even more than on technology, the satisfaction and participation of students in online learning depend on the degree and quality of their interaction and contact with their teachers (Johnston, Killion, & Oomen, 2005). In this respect, Baber (2020) argues that teacher-student interaction in online courses is an important factor, as electronic communication may not be as effective as traditional communication because of an absence of emotions, body language and expressions. The same researcher observed that motivation in an online class has a positive effect on student learning, while according to Daniel (2020) the pandemic has disrupted the academic life of learners in different ways, depending also on the point they have reached in their programs.

In the context of all the theoretical information and the study of the findings of other pieces of research, it was considered necessary to carry out a research on the students of MMA Macedonia for the purpose of investigating their views on the use of distance learning. Furthermore, the research  that was carried out aimed to examine whether the following research hypotheses are valid:

1. Students in more advanced semesters (4rth, 6th) adapted more easily to distance learning when compared to students in earlier semesters (2nd, 3rd).
2. E-learning is more tiresome than "face to face" learning.
3. Students who have a satisfactory communication with their teachers during the lesson are less hesitant with the establishment of e-learning as a way of teaching in the school they attend.
4. Students who adapted easily to distance learning do not face technical problems.
   1. Most students of the MMA are content with distance learning.

The present quantitative research was carried out at the Macedonia Merchant Marine Academy, in the spring semester of 2020. The participants were 597 students of the Engineering School from the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th semesters who were being taught their lessons online and in their regular schedule. The data were collected with the use of an online questionnaire via Google Forms and they were distributed to all students through the Microsoft Teams platform during their lesson, between June 1st and June 6th towards the end of the spring semester. The results were analyzed with the use ofdescriptive statistics and the chi-square (x²) procedure of hypothesis testing.

The results showed that the students' adaptation to the new way of teaching depends on the semester at which they are and on the technical problems they may have encountered. Initially, it appears that most MMA students have the required degree of familiarity with technology, using largely a laptop or a mobile phone or a combination of the two technological means in order to participate in their online courses, and they are usually connected via Wi-Fi. The analysis showed that the students who find it easy to adapt to distance learning did not experience significant technical problems, such as trouble with passwords, course finding, connectivity, and technological equipment. Their ease of adjustment seems to vary depending on the semester they attend, possibly due to their age and how far they have progressed in their studies. In particular, those who are about to graduate and are in a transition point from education to work are able to perceive the momentousness of the situation and have a stronger motivation for the online learning to be successful.

Moreover, it was also found that students who had a satisfactory communication with their teachers during their e-lessons are less hesitant with the establishment of e-learning as a way of teaching. Besides, Ward, Peters, & Shelley (2010) argue that when communication in the context of distance education is smooth, then students have a positive attitude and there can be achieved an effective learning equivalent to the "face to face" education. Finally, although the students agreed that online learning was the right solution during the pandemic, they found it more tiresome, boring and monotonous than traditional education, noting that is more difficult for some students to stay focused and not be distracted by the internet, as the latter offers opportunities for simultaneous engagement with work and entertainment, resulting in distraction.

In conclusion, it can be argued that distance education is a very important and necessary solution in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the research results, most students had mixed impressions from distance learning, which is in agreement with the results of other relevant research mentioned in the introduction. In general, though no negative attitudes arose, the students seem to react to the prospect of integrating e-learning into the educational process when the educational institutions will return to their normal operation.