Students\' Perceptions of the Quality of Distance Learning Environment During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Receiving feedback from students about the distance learning environment is necessity to improve distance education. The present study aims to investigate the perceptions of the distance learning environment in nursing students of Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Iran during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted on 194 undergraduate nursing and midwifery students in Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch in 2020-2021. The data collection tools were a demographic from and the distance education learning environment survey (DELES) that were prepared in Google forms. Data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 22 using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation test. Results: The mean total score of DELES was 100.1±23.8, and 59.3% of students perceived their distance learning environment as good. Conclusion: More than half of the nursing students of Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch perceive their distance learning environment as good. To achieve maximum student satisfaction, attention to different areas of the distance learning environment survey should be paid by teachers, managers, and curriculum and distance education planners as well as to the empowerment of teachers for distance education in the School of Nursing & Midwifery.

Keywords

• students
• distance education
• covid-19