A comparison of business student perceptions in Kazakhstan and the United States regarding ways to enhance the online learning process

Abstract

The unanticipated COVID-19 pandemic renewed interest in the success of various pedagogic practices across populations to determine the universality of their importance. This article contrasts the findings of research conducted among Kazakhstan business students, and recently reported in the Journal Eastern European and Central Asian Research, to a population of business students at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Our empirical sample survey of 112 undergraduate students reveals a.) a greater satisfaction with online education, b.) the potential for a longer attention span, c.) agreement on techniques to improve pedagogy, and d.) better perceived online experiences versus Kazakhstani findings. This report shares additional actionable suggestions for lessening the instances of low online involvement, as well as suggestions for improving asynchronous online education, which is again found to be preferred to a synchronous modality. Insights provided by students from a different culture and hemisphere enhance understanding of student perceptions and ways to improve the online learning experience.

Keywords

• higher education
• online education
• asynchronous learning
• Kazakhstan
• United States
• pedagogy