Students’ perceptions of online learning in the faculty of foreign languages at banking academy of vietnam

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy ABSTRACT This research aims to investigate the students’ perception of online learning in the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Banking Academy.. Moreover,

ACADEMY OF VIETNAM

Student: : Nguyen Quang Minh

Course : 2017 - 2021 Student code : 20A7510118 Instructor : Ms Nguyen Thi Thu Trang (MA)

Hanoi, May 2021

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

DECLARATIONS

I declare that this thesis is an original report of my research, has been written by me and has not been submitted for any previous degree The experimental work is almost entirely my own work; the collaborative contributions have been indicated clearly and acknowledged Due references have been provided on all supporting literatures and resources

Hanoi, 22nd May 2021 Signature

Nguyen Quang Minh

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my gratitude towards the people who have contributed tremendously to the successful completion of the thesis First and foremost, I would like to thank my instructor, Ms Nguyen Thi Thu Trang (MA) – a lecturer in Faculty

of Foreign Languages of Banking Academy, for her helpful instructions and supportive comments along the way Throughout the entire time, the encouragement and inspirational speeches that she gave, the guidance she provided regarding the research direction and progress as well as her detailed comments has helped me to finish my research successfully Without her useful advice and instructions, this thesis would have not been completed

Secondly, I would like to express my appreciation to the 227 participants of my survey With their willingness and devotion, accurate responses were generated which contribute greatly to my research Besides, I am also thankful for all of the lecturers of the Faculty of Foreign Languages who offer me crucial information related to the specific regulations

Last but not least, I would like to say thank you to my family for their constant support in the entire journey With their encouragement and motivation, I managed

to keep on going and overcome the obstacles to complete the study

Without these support, the dissertation could not be completed Once more, from the bottom of my heart, I am grateful for everyone for their help and instruction

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

ABSTRACT

This research aims to investigate the students’ perception of online learning in the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Banking Academy A number of factors are analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively with a questionnaire of 227 students

A coherent framework is deployed to rank the level of importance of six factors which affect the quality of online education These factors are: basic online modality, teaching presence, instructional support, social presence, cognitive presence and trust in the system Moreover, the qualitative remarks will be categorized into groups in accordance with the factors above to give an insight about what factors that students think can improve their online learning experience The results of the study indicate that teaching presence is valued the most when studying online whereas social presence is rated to be the least important factor The qualitative comments show that internet stability is the most pressing problem for students during online sessions This meant that this severely affects the quality of education for students and needs to be improved quickly From the findings, it is suggested that the university should focus on enhancing the factors that the students value Furthermore, as for the problems with internet connection, teachers as well as students should ensure an environment with best possible internet so that this problem could be temporarily dealt with or at least reduced

Key words: Faculty of Foreign Languages, online learning, students’ perceptions

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

TABLE OF CONTENT

DECLARATIONS i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENT iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi

LIST OF TABLES vii

LIST OF FIGURES viii

Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Background 1

1.3 Objective of study 3

1.4 Research Question 3

1.5 Significance of the study 3

1.6 Scope and limitations of the study 4

Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1.1 Definitions of Online learning 5

2.1.2 Factors that influence the success of e-learning 7

2.1.3 Positive and negative effects of e-learning 9

2.1.4 Online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic 12

2.1.5 Online learning for Foreign Language students 19

2.1.6 Previous studies about the attitudes of students toward e-learning 22

Chapter III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 28

3.1 Locale of the study 28

3.2 Participants 28

3.3 Research Instrument 29

3.4 Data processing method 29

3.4.1 Quantitative data 29

3.4.2 Qualitative data 30

3.5 Data Analysis 31

Chapter IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 32

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

4.1 Demographic results 32

4.2 Findings 34

4.2.1 Findings on significance levels of basic online modality 34

4.2.2 Findings on significance levels of teaching presence 36

4.2.3 Findings on significance levels of instructional support 38

4.2.4 Findings on significance levels of social presence 40

4.2.5 Findings on significance levels of cognitive presence 42

4.2.6 Findings on significance levels of trust in the system 44

4.2.7 Findings on factors that (students think) can improve online learning experience 45

CHAPTER V: SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 52

5.1 Summary of the findings 52

5.2 Implications 53

5.3 Suggestions for the next studies 53

REFERENCES 54

APPENDIX

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations Meanings

E-learning Online Learning

FFL Faculty of Foreign Language

ICT Information and communication technology

LMS Learning Management System

SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Number of students in each academic year Page: 28

Table 2 Summary of the Reliability Score Page: 31

Table 3 Respondent demographics Page: 32

Table 4 Auxiliary demographic data: Reasons for taking

online classes

Page: 33

Table 5 The level of significance of basic online modality Page: 34

Table 6 The level of significance of basic online modality Page: 36

Table 7 The level of significance of instructional support Page: 38

Table 8 The level of significance of social presence Page: 40

Table 9 The level of significance of cognitive presence Page: 42

Table 10 The level of significance of trust in the system Page: 44

Table 11 Qualitative comments from students Page: 45

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2 Summary of students’ answers regarding basic online

modality (in percentage)

Page: 35

Figure 3 Summary of the students’ answers regarding teaching

presence (in percentage)

Page: 37

Figure 4 Summary of the students’ answers regarding instructional

support (in percentage)

Page: 39

Figure 5 Summary of the students’ answers regarding social presence

(in percentage)

Page: 41

Figure 6 Summary of the students’ answers regarding cognitive

presence (in percentage)

Page: 43

Figure 7 Summary of the students’ answers regarding trust in the

system (in percentage)

Page: 44

Chapter I: INTRODUCTION

The first chapter offers the readers an overview of the research First, the general context as well as background will be provided to clarify the research current situation Next, the aim of the research and its importance are included in their respective order Finally, some limitations of the research will be identified

1.1 Introduction

In recent years, with the rapid development of technology, online learning has increasingly gained its popularity especially among students This method of studying has been adopted by various schools and universities across the globe; however, acquiring knowledge through online learning still remains as a controversial topic with many opposing views regarding its influence and effectiveness Some people argue that this method is the next big step for education since it facilitates the process of studying Others think that will greatly diminish the value of studying (With the removal of real-life interaction between teachers and students) as well as affect the process of obtaining knowledge

Despite the arguments above, it cannot be denied that online learning is significant

to the world's education in general and Vietnam's education in specific Moreover, the important role of studying online is more prominent now during the period of turmoil and stagnancy caused by the global pandemic namely Covid-19

Because of these reasons, the thesis named: "Vietnamese students’ feedback on online learning” will provide an insight about how students perceive online learning and what they expect to improve for more effective online learning

1.2 Background

The origin of online studying dates back to as early as in 1858, when the first

university in the world offered a full degree through a course which can be learned remotely called the "External Programme" In 1873 and 1892, formal schools started to officially offer correspondence courses, with the latter year course held by the University of Chicago Over the period of 59 years starting from 1900, war created a strong incentive for computer technology to be developed, during this era,

people were familiar with the use of radio technology, television and video recording What went alongside these newly invented innovations was the evolution

of distance education through radio and television correspondence

The next vital period was from 1960 to 1979 as this was considered as the space and the early internet age Remarkable groundbreaking inventions were discovered during this time, introducing first view onto the global computer network as well as the first online campus Between 1990 and 1999, this was famously known as the information age and the internet boom, with the appearance of an accredited fully- online college and the development of Learning Management System, which stood for learning management systems From 2000, as the internet became more and more well-known by the global community, its novelty started to fade and its impact began to be felt throughout the society A host of online colleges and online degrees appeared, with increasingly more options of free education

From 2019 and beyond, with the existence of online learning, it has become widely accessible for more and more people There has not been a time when so many people can connect, develop and learn at their own pace without the old limitations

of traditional, onsite education While online learning might never supersede the importance of onsite study, it is undeniable that this form of study has affected learners tremendously, not only on the way they pursue formal education but also

on how they learn and perceive new knowledge

Education types in Vietnam:

In Vietnam, traditional education is still considered as the main method of teaching and the most effective However, in recent years, the technological industry is developing rapidly and following this is the birth of a new educational model: E- learning This type of education aims to cope with the demand of educational integration of Vietnam The subsequent section will describe its definitions and some of its prominent features and characteristics

Onsite study: This is the traditional form of study where teachers and students directly interact with each other at places such as classes, schools, colleges and universities

Online study is a method of acquiring knowledge through a device that is connected

to the Internet with pre-prepared electronic lessons and software needed to interact with students from afar Teachers can convey image as well as sound through the use of Wi-Fi or LAN This method of study allows education to happen virtually anywhere, delivering knowledge and information quickly Students can gain access

to the course from the convenience of their own house, office, public hotspot 24 hours a day and 7 days a week Vietnam is considered to be catching up quickly with the global trend Soon after E-learning started to become a global trend, there were a lot of online learning websites created such as Violet.vn, Hocmai.vn, Topica, Onluyen.vn, Speakup.vn, Mathplay and so on To date, E-learning has become a model that attracts a large number of students, especially in big cities like Hanoi and

Ho Chi Minh More specifically, a familiar online learning channel namely Hocmai.vn obtained over 3.5 million members with over 10.000 visitors simultaneously, over 1000 courses and 30.000 lectures per year

With all the aspects mentioned above, there is no doubt that online learning has become an integral part of Vietnamese educational system

1.3 Objective of study

The research aims to clarify the students' perception on online learning, especially among those who are studying in the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Banking Academy In order to attain this goal, current ATC students of different years are asked to value different aspects of online learning They are also inquired about factors that would improve overall effectiveness of online learning

1.4 Research Question

The study is carried out with the purpose of addressing these questions:

- How do students rate different aspects of online studying?

- What factors that students think can improve their online learning experience?

1.5 Significance of the study

This research might provide useful information for both teachers and students since

it can offer insight about the field of education online Firstly, this research may

help students to comprehend more deeply about online learning both in terms of the negative as well as positive aspects Secondly, teachers can use this research to understand what their students value and what challenges they encounter when they take online courses After that, they can devise a plan to solve these problems, hence enhancing the effectiveness of online education

1.6 Scope and limitations of the study

Students who participated in the research are all from the Faculty of Foreign Languages, not students across Vietnam The study aims at investigating perception

of English -major students on e-learning The research was conducted in April and May of the year 2021

Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter will provide the readers an insight into the literature surrounding online learning including the definitions of online learning, factors for effective online learning and impacts of this studying mode Ultimately, previous studies about the perception of students towards online learning will be reviewed

2.1.1 Definitions of Online learning

Learning is the absorption of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught Visser (2001) stated that online learning is to engage in constant dialogue with the human, social, biological and physical environment to create smart behavior and interact constructively Ally (2004) defines it as "the use of the Internet to access learning materials; to interact with the content, instructor, and other learners; and to obtain support during the learning process, in order to acquire knowledge, to construct personal meaning, and to grow from the learning experience" In order to gauge learning, academic performance is a popular dependent variable to be used More specifically, learning is evaluated through course grades, course evaluation, standardized tests, pre-tests and post-tests, observation, and analysis of student products, portfolios, exit interviews and surveys from students

E-learning is becoming more and more commonly adopted in the educational system The term of e-learning is defined as a method of learning that is assisted by information and communication technology (ICT) with the aim of enhancing teaching and learning quality E-learning is considered to be an impactful tool for achieving strategic objectives of university which includes teaching, research and serving society It helps teaching staff and students to progress on both institutional and personal level Collecting, analyzing and applying information suitably can be facilitated with the use of this learning system

E-learning is one of the most promising advancements of network and information technology, representing the most up-to-date evolution of distance learning - a type

of learning that the teachers and the students are far away in terms of distance or

time from each other or both, unlike a normal face to face classroom E-learning can

be interpreted as the use of telecommunication technology to transfer available knowledge to learners despite the time constraints and geographical location, and the learning environment is appearing as the brand-new paradigm in education (Sheer & Wang, 2008) This approach to learning expands the scope of interaction, between learners and instructors, and among learners, removing limitations of time and space through the use of asynchronous and synchronous learning tools; thus, it satisfies the educational requirements and expands the demand for higher education (Sun, Tsai, Finger, Chen, & Yeh, 2008)

Clark and Mayer (2016) defined E-learning as instructions delivered through digital devices with the intent of supporting learning Arkorful and Abaidoo (2015) defined e-learning as using information and communication technologies for enabling access to online teaching and learning resources Ruiz, Mintzer and Leipzig (2006) defined e-learning as using Internet technologies for enhancing performance and knowledge Conversely, with the traditional way of studying, students have to engage through a face to face contact with the instructor in the physical classroom location

With online learning, social and interpersonal interactions take place through a computer screen rather than physically being outside It is highly possible that e- learning systems can be better regarding social and interpersonal communication than face to face interaction Communicative activities such as questioning, answering, discussing, debating and negotiating may occur on the internet between students and teachers in an E-learning environment Moreover, asynchronous communication do not rely on teachers and students to actively conduct teaching and learning activities at the same time (Liaw, 2004) In asynchronous communication, learners can study at their own pace and control the speed at which the instruction happens Synchronous communication occurs in real time, demanding instructors and learners to be simultaneously ready for interaction Previous studies on e-learning indicate that a vital aspect to improve learners’ positive attitudes such as perceived satisfaction, usefulness and self-regulation is an interactive learning environment (Liaw & Huang, 2007; Sharma et al., 2007) It can

be interpreted that a friendly interactive learning environment may promote learners’ self-regulation (Vighnarajah et al., 2009)

2.1.2 Factors that influence the success of e-learning

The development of information technology has encouraged the enhancement of many different fields, especially education Since then, a rapid development could

be seen regarding the educational system, stimulating the adoption of online learning systems, which is the direct outcome of a hybrid education and technology Since E-learning is now becoming mainstream and adopted widely in higher education, the quality of e-learning systems has received a great amount of attention and various researchers have tried to identify key factors to maximize the effectiveness of online learning

Liaw & Huang (2007) pointed out four factors that could enhance e-learning environment They are useful environmental characteristics, enhancing environmental satisfaction, effective learning activities, and positive learners 'characteristics Helpful environmental is featured as synchronous or asynchronous interactive learning environments that generate an advanced level of e-learning for learners to share and retrieve great information simultaneously Furthermore, enhancing e-learning environments will improve positively how students behave in

an e-learning session In addition, effective learning activities create an opportunity for instructors and learners to exchange knowledge and experience Finally, positive learner’s characteristics might boost student’s satisfaction and usefulness level regarding e-learning (Liaw & Huang, 2007)

B and company (2020) also found out four factors that impact students' learning experience The most influential element is the internet's stability and speed, which

is followed by a comfortable and quiet learning environment, teachers' assistance and platform’s usage difficulties Machado-Da-Silva, Meirelles, Filenga, & Filho (2014) came up with three factors can have a direct effect on the e-learning system They are usefulness of information, a stable online learning system where connection problems do not occur a lot and service quality Wang (2003) who conducted a research into students’ satisfaction of online learning put emphasis on

four vital standards The standards include user-friendly interface that students can easily navigate, a community that helps each other to enhance and improve, and high quality content which is customized based on the need of each individual student In another research by Selim (2007), trainer’s skills and their willingness, positive students’ attitudes towards studying, information technology and a supportive university are all regarded as important to the success of an online learning system Of all, how easy it is to use the system is considered the most essential

Shee & Wang (2008) stated User-friendly learner interface, interactive learning community, useful system content and personalization as key dimensions for successful e-learning systems User-friendly learner interface means that the system can be used with ease If the system can be operated stably, it then might create positive learners’ attitudes Interactive learning community could be considered to

be learning activities; in other words, this is the process of communicating between students and teachers, allowing both sides to share their knowledge and skills Useful learning content is referred to as the effectiveness and sufficiency of the materials in the curriculum Personalization can be interpreted as the learners' control of the progress of study

Anna et al (2020) stated seven factors that can determine whether the online educational system would succeed or not These factors are basic online modality which is the ability of the instructors to use the most basic tools of an online classroom The next factor is teaching presence, which can be defined as clear-cut, straight to the point and on time communication among lecturers and learners Additionally, instructional support can be explained as the number of opportunities provided to receive feedbacks and practice to make the students feel a sense of community Moreover, interactive online modality can be identified as how well the teachers use online tools to interact with their students The next determining factor

is social presence, which is the comfortable interaction that the instructors generate between classmates The subsequent factor is cognitive presence which can be interpreted as a wide range of materials that are provided to the students Materials should be highly accessible and facilitate an environment that is stimulating and

reflective The final factor is trust in the system which refers to a glitch-free system with good internet connection and the fair grading, minimized cheating in exams

In general, most researchers agree that environment greatly affects students’ online learning experience their online learning experience Another interesting point is that the ease-to-use platform can affect students’ online learning experience dramatically (whether the system is difficult to operate or not) It could also be noticed that the students themselves are a crucial factor to the effectiveness Moreover, courses’ activities and an interactive and boisterous learning community play an important role Furthermore, supportive teachers and university can lead to

an increase in online learning efficiency as well Another influential aspect is the quality of the system, especially about its stability and speed when users are studying on the platform Finally, the content and information included in the course are extremely influential to its success Three additional factors are added by Anna Ya Ni, Montgomery Van Wart, Pamela Medina, Kimberly Collins, Ernest Silvers & Hang Pei (2020) are basic online modality, teaching presence and interactive online modality

2.1.3 Positive and negative effects of e-learning

- Positive effects of e-learning

E-learning has utterly changed the way that students learn Unlike the traditional method of teaching with chalks and boards, there are some clear-cut advantages that online learning possess

Bouhnik & Marcus (2006) indicated that there are four advantages when it comes to online learning: Firstly, learners can freely decide when each lesson will be learned Another advantage is that it may reduce learning time constraints on lecturers The third is that that learners can have their own freedom to express thoughts and to ask questions without limitations Finally, the participants can have their own elections

of accessibility of courses’ subject matters and related materials

Capper (2001) also proposes five benefits to E-learning: The first one is that students can join the learning program at any time they like, the second one is that

the learners do not have to meet in a real physical location The third one is that the interactions between students, instructors and peers are more succinct and straight

to the point; furthermore, people can carefully craft their responses beforehand Moreover, new opportunities for group co-operation are presented since there are electronic messaging as well as discussions The final benefit is that economic feasibility of online courses has allowed newly adopted learning approaches and options to arise

Smith and Hardaker (2000) & Alexander (2001) have stated that more detailed and deep discussion can emerge to further enhance the quality of online learning, as well as being a massive incentive for students' participation and increasing the cost- effectiveness of education The best possible example for this would be in that of flipped classrooms, when active listening exercises are presented to the students through podcasts or online discussions, and the instructor provides assistance and scaffolding (Strayer, 2012)

In short, seven positive effects can be found to be related to online learning The first one is that online learning can bring about more effective teamwork and co- operation between peers as well as the focus on each student Another positive effect is that students can benefit a lot from a flexible learning schedule as they can pick whenever they want to study Furthermore, it could be seen that studying online can be cheaper than traditional mode of training and it could also be a massive encouragement for students to join in classes Additionally, studying online

is great for students since they can study at any physical location that they desire, plus the upside of newly implemented educational practices Another strength is that students can communicate more effectively and succinctly as well as freely express new ideas Ultimately, the ability to access materials can be extremely beneficial

- Negative effects of e-learning

With the aid of state-of-the-art technology, e-learning systems have continually made tremendous progress; however, there is still much room for improvement To

be more specific, most of the traditional methods of teaching are still stuck with the e-learning system, therefore making it having the same downsides

Van Phuc (2012) has stated that there are three disadvantages to the online

learning system The first downside is that online learning is primarily designed to ease the work of the instructor and not to assist the study of the learners This is best illustrated as the evaluation is not seen as a way to gauge how much learners have improved, but instead it is mainly used to measure the level of achievement which the learners have little control over This causes the students to heavily rely on the teachers, removing the thought of taking control of their own learning process E- learning usually ignores the different levels of knowledge of students The same materials or teaching methods are used for all of the students regardless of their profiles Students' interest, learning styles, personalities and psychological needs are often neglected The second one is the limited support for process dimension E- learners do not have a reliable, safe and active environment to absorb knowledge, and they have to depend on rather passive materials Many of the online lessons do not provide any further value when the teachers have finished delivering the lessons In particular, the knowledge is not tailored to the users' specific needs and demands The final downside is the poor support of organizational dimension: E- learning does not emphasize on the organizational needs which make students incapable of understanding what knowledge he or she is currently obtaining and in what ways this knowledge can be of certain value for the organization's learning agenda E-learning systems forget the significance of the social process Not enough interactions take place on this platform since most of the interactive activities are often disregarded and considered to be minor

Djalilova (2020) has claimed that three downsides to online learning could be

found The first aspect is the limited number of modules to choose from; unfortunately, not all subjects can be studied through a computer screen without practical exercises from experienced instructors Studying from afar can turn students into a brilliant programmer or designer; conversely, students can't become doctors or pilot from learning remotely Secondly, online learning lacks private communication that traditional teaching methods can provide With the interaction

from classmates and lecturers, such communication can produce outstanding ideas with the capability of changing students’ fate significantly Ultimately, studying online can worsen some of the important skills that learners have acquired in a classroom setting, such as the speed of taking notes of long lectures, developing mechanical memory, and how to separate crucial fragments from a huge flow of information

Oyshajon and Noila (2020) argued that the one disadvantage of online learning is that the students do not believe in their ability to use electronic learning and communicate, which explains why they want to attend a normal type of education Another downside is that distance learning relies heavily on the existence of the internet and its expenses, the speed and availability of the service, the presence of special communication networks and its usage

Overall, a total of six downsides to the distant learning system could be seen The first one is that the online system lacks the number of modules to choose and it does not have individualized content based on the specific needs of each individual Another disadvantage is that e-learning depends greatly on the Internet and how they are operated (Speed, availability and expenses) An additional downside is learning effectiveness can be affected due to whether students can use electronic devices skillfully or not The fourth minus point is that e-learning systems do not provide students with private communication like traditional methods, diminishing the control of students over the course Previously significant hard-earned skills can

be worsened due to the use of a new platform Finally, social aspects are often ignored or neglected, being made unimportant when studying online

2.1.4 Online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly created an immense impact

on the world and its way of living Various industries, from retail, e-commerce, to sports and entertainment, are all heavily affected by COVID-19 Similarly, the education sector faces multiple challenges that require changes to adapt to the situation The outbreak forced the shutdown of schools and universities everywhere and education is interrupted With this major problem, online learning has appeared

as one of the saviors of the education system As stated before, with the advent of cutting-edge technological developments, online learning is becoming more prevalent and complete than ever, however, this way of studying, while being an excellent tool for all the student around the world during the pandemic, also suffers the gloomy atmosphere that COVID-19 has cast upon the human race

Advantages of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

A research conducted by Khadijah Mukhtar et al (2020), which surveyed 12 faculty and 12 students from the University College of Medicine and the University College of Dentistry, showed some interesting perks of e-learning First of all, the students and faculty do not have to risk their wellbeing in areas that are unsafe to learn and teach because remote learning does not rely on a physical common location Education can continue without being disturbed and people are not contacting each other directly This is a key factor that makes online learning essential during hard times like these Secondly, for the students, all materials such

as presentation slides, notes, homework, or exercises can be conveniently accessed online through the university website or other portals At the same time, these materials are not printed so the expenses are reduced Slightly cumbersome administrative tasks, such as recording the lecture for later use, or checking the attendance of students, are also done with ease Next, timid students who are not talkative and confident seem to prefer this method of learning, as study shows that these students contact through mobile applications like WhatsApp easily Finally, both students and faculty agree that online learning has enabled student-centered learning With the flexibility of the platform and the easily managed system, students became more active, comfortable, and self-directed

On another research that was carried out by Gaurav Sawarkar et al (2020) at the Mahatma Gandhi Ayurved College, Hospital And Research Centre, 189 students participated in the survey about online learning during the pandemic

The first result is that the benefits and effectiveness of online learning are undeniable during lockdown because education is not interrupted when students and teachers continue their lectures at home Another point is the atmosphere at home is

comfortable enough for students to study actively; the data actually shows that lots

of students gain more confidence learning by this method than in normal face-to- face classes Regarding the teaching materials, students reported that the slides used

by lecturers are clear and easy to understand These materials also provide students with sufficient knowledge to deal with upcoming tests Furthermore, what can be seen from the research is that lectures presented by professors are clear and audible,

so students have the same access to knowledge as they had in universities and schools Finally, learners responded that e-learning allows them to utilize their time during lockdown better and the technology is easy to handle for them

An in-depth research conducted by Shivangi Dhawan in 2020 did careful investigation into online learning - the panacea during the COVID-19 crisis Shivangi concluded that distant learning is economically beneficial since students and teachers do not have to travel to schools or universities Additionally, the cost

of maintaining a facility for people to come and study is also removed from the equation; hence, online learning is, in some way, less expensive than conventional learning Next, it is found that students appreciate the flexibility that e-learning gave them A student can not only pick his or her own time to take a class or a course but can also choose a suitable and comfortable place to sit down, prepare his or her tech gears, and study To conclude, the author stated that online learning is great not only during the pandemic but in the case of other unfortunate disasters as well

Khadijah Mukhtar et al (2020) and his colleagues agreed that online learning is beneficial because of its ability to keep teachers and students out of the danger zone COVID-19 poses lethal threats to humankind Also, it is vital to keep people distant from each other and out of public places

Gaurav Sawarkar et al (2020) and Khadijah Mukhtar et al (2020) came to the conclusion that the materials taught in online classes are easily accessed and understandable Also, Shivangi Dhawan (2020) and Khadijah Mukhtar et al (2020) both think online classes are less expensive due to the reduction of transportation and printed materials All three research concluded that e-learning gives students comfort and flexibility Being able to study at home, or any other comfortable

places, and at a time they choose is what makes online classes so great Time is utilized better and some students are recorded to be better when studying online

Disadvantages of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

On the other hand, different researches also pointed out some downsides of distant learning compared to the traditional way of teaching

Khadijah Mukhtar (2020) concluded that, firstly, although the method of teaching was great, it fails to give students the opportunity to learn skills that require actual hands-on training Similarly, practical and clinical work is clearly not possible during online sessions Students will lose a great number of chances to practice their theoretical knowledge on activities in the laboratory Secondly, compared to face- to-face lectures, online classes do not receive the same amount of feedback from learners While some students become more active when studying online, others only partially pay attention to the lecture and do not express whether or not they understand the materials This often happens when students are distracted by other activities while using their personal computers, and lecturers find it extremely difficult to assess their performance because they do not know if the students are listening and grasping the knowledge Next, the attention given to the lecture is not sufficient The reason behind this problem is that the students understand that the online classes will be recorded by the institution, or in some cases, the students will record the lectures by themselves Then they will then rely on these backup videos and not entirely focus on the session Face-to-face classes are also being recorded in some way, but students do not express the same careless attitude towards them Another point worth mentioning is that while most students have resources and equipment to study online, others do not have the same settings In a situation like the COVID-19 pandemic, people are already under heavy stress and affected financially Some families are not wealthy enough to provide their children with fancy gadgets that others often take for granted such as expensive laptops with cameras, good headphones, or a stable wireless internet connection Academic integrity should be maintained under any circumstances; however, this does not seem to be the case with online classes While learning electronically, students

misbehave more since they are not as likely to be caught as they might be in real- life classes Though not shown in the research, there are many cases of students playing online video games, watching movies, or simply not caring about the lectures The final problem with online learning is that it is extremely easy for students to copy answers from the internet If it is just a simple question and a simple answer, this may not be much of a big deal; however, if the assignment is concerning writing a report or an essay, plagiarism may happen very easily It only takes a few clicks for an online attendant to open a new page of material and a few more clicks to take the same material and paste it into their own papers

In the research of Gaurav Sawarkar (2020) and his colleagues, students are also asked about the disadvantages of their online sessions First, not all classes hosted through these online platforms are stable Students reported that the continuity of lectures is interrupted because of poor internet connectivity and lags The concentration of students is also broken at the same time of the disconnected session, in the end, classes that are lagged are not so effective, speaking in terms of the knowledge learned Another major problem is related to health Students spend too much time sitting in front of their LCD screens, which leads to serious consequences such as eye strain, headaches, back pain The 21st-century students are already using too many mobile phones and computers, and with an extra three or five-hour classes every day, they are under serious health threats

Similarly, Shivangi Dhawan (2020) came down with a couple of issues regarding e- learning in her research Firstly, it is true that the number of applications created to serve the purpose of online learning is massive; however, the problems associated with these tools are also huge Some students have trouble getting the tools to their computers, others find it difficult to properly set up those programs to work well, and some cheap applications provide poor audio and video quality Secondly, a major problem concerns the quality of these online classes It is reported that students often find online sessions tedious and unengaging, so they do not interact with the teachers as often as in normal classes and some students also do private activities during lecture time In addition, students do not have the chance to put the theoretical knowledge to a test, since practical work is impossible to be done

Finally, although remote learning is flexible, some students answered that they are having a tough time dividing the time for activities in a day

In short, technical difficulties are reported the most irritating problem of learning online These difficulties, whether they are related to the software, internet, or hardware, can cause the flow of knowledge to be disconnected and hence, make students who already think that the syllabus is tedious and lengthy more drifted away from the lesson During the lockdown, education is crucial since it is mostly mandatory and not a choice that learners make Additionally, all three authors mentioned the fact that some students are unengaged and not focusing on the lectures Gaurav Sawarkar et al (2020) said that health-related issues are also serious consequences of studying online, while Khadijah Mukhtar et al (2020) and Shivangi Dhawan (2020) talked about the lack of practical work that students face while studying online Both authors found out that students want to have practical sessions after the lockdown

Recommendations for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the pros and cons mentioned above of online learning, students and teachers who participated in different surveys give their points of view on what can be done

to improve the system

Khadijah Mukhtar’s (2020) suggested a few remedies to the problems mainly regarding teaching/assignment and quality enhancement Firstly, regarding the teaching platform, the university has chosen a particular program for students and faculty to use However, teachers feel like they need separate sessions to learn how

to effectively handle these tools since not all of them are tech wizards Secondly, professors express their concerns about the concentration and interaction of students

in their online classes Many students are not focusing and maintaining interaction with their professors, either because of poor internet connectivity or unexpected events happening in their families The faculty suggested that they should, in the future, find ways to talk to these students who are not listening carefully to the lecture However, specific methods are not yet to be found Next, as stated previously above, practical work and lab sessions are possible during the pandemic,

so there are suggestions saying that after the lockdown, the university should allow students to take the practical sessions they missed out on in order for them to revise what they have learned and catch up with the syllabus It is agreed that only studying theoretical work is not sufficient, especially for students majoring in fields such as physics, biology, or chemistry Another recommendation is that the university should hire tech companies to create security for their online sessions Students will then have to register an account with their unique student ID, perhaps even a face recognition program so that only students in the university can enter the online sessions It has been known that there are incidents in many Zoom meetings where random strangers from all over the globe join a private classroom in order to sabotage that session, so security measures are highly recommended

For Ayurveda students in Gaurav Sawarkar et al research (2020), they also suggest revision sessions for topics that are difficult during online classes, since the quality

of those classes may not cover enough hard parts in lectures This opinion comes from over fifty percent of students interviewed and it seems like that some online classes are not effective An astonishing figure shows that almost every student who participated in these online sessions faces cybersecurity issues related to the online platform The learning application that the university provides may not demonstrate the best security against cyber-attacks and therefore, investments in technological solutions are vital Next, while some students can keep track of the materials and the recordings of the lecturers by themselves, others do not have the same knowledge of the computer Hence, they suggest that the administrative department should create a program or find a way to record these sessions so that they can access it later Finally, frustrations were recorded as students and faculty sometimes face technical difficulties when studying Simple problems such as how to navigate through the pages, how to mute, unmute, or how to upload documents to the university’s portal can be solved by having a technical support team whenever needed Overall, students and faculty conclude that while during the pandemic, e- learning is one of the best substitute methods to cover potentially lost knowledge, conventional learning is still the better method

Some potential remedies are proposed from Shivangi Dhawan’s research (2020) Problems regarding technology are present, but with the help of teaching videos that are recorded and stored beforehand, those issues will be partially omitted For instance, if the teachers are having some problems with their internet or computers, they can play the prerecorded files for the students so that no time is wasted Online classes are already easy to be interrupted, that is why solutions like this are so important to keep students engaged in the lecture After, communication between students and faculty should not end after the lesson Multiple technological tools should be applied to keep communication happens between the two sides Social media such as Twitter or Facebook and messaging programs such as WhatsApp or Discord should be used to maintain the connection and discussion after each lecture One more challenge is the way teachers deliver their lectures As discussed previously above, online classes can sometimes be more tedious than they should

be, and interaction and attention between students and teachers are essential in order

to keep the quality high Therefore, instructors should not just perform the basics and minimum teaching skills, but also try to come up with different strategies to make the classes much more entertaining and student-centered That way, learners will pay more attention to what they are seeing and not be distracted by recreational activities, thus, increase the quality of the lesson

To sum up, all three research recorded that students want to have extra time on practical sessions and revision classes after the lockdown is over Also, they stated that technical problems should be addressed in many different ways, namely using reliable platforms, developing new technology, or secure a technical team in case any issues occur

2.1.5 Online learning for Foreign Language students

It has been debated that conventional learning is one of the best ways to teach languages, mostly because of the oral communication that it provides for learners Therefore, online learning was considered a second option when it comes to learning foreign languages However, the fast development of information and

technology has made online learning much more efficient and to some people, learning new languages through online courses is the new way to go

Problems when learning foreign languages online

Erkan Yüce (2019) interviewed foreign language teachers at a university in Turkey and did research on potential issues with online foreign language learning The first and foremost discovery was that, while most teachers agree that skills such as reading and listening are not so different when learning through the internet, speaking and writing skills receive less approval This means that receptive skills can be taught online and learners will not be affected much by the environment; on the other hand, productive skills, while can still be taught through the internet, maybe better when being instructed directly in real life Regarding vocabulary and grammar, most instructors voted for the opinion that online learning does not hinder the process of learning those skills In his final research question, he asked the teachers about class management Results showed that instructors sometimes have trouble using the technology and the web tools, which leads to the lack of concentration between learners and teachers Finally, teachers also reported that some students who do not have experience in studying online can make those classes less effective

Mayu Miyamoto and Hong did research on a Japanese and Chinese online course in

2017 They mainly focus on the challenges that these courses were facing For the Japanese course, firstly, they found out that in order to take online language courses, students need to be self-disciplined and be able to manage their time wisely Plus, self-studying skills are also important when it comes to studying online Some students who do not prepare for the lesson will, unfortunately, waste the time of those who had prepared Next, a lot of students think that they can finish the homework by the last minute, so they waited and do exercises right before the beginning of the class Another problem is that the skill gap between students is present at some point For the Chinese course, the first problem is the difficulty in communication between teachers and students They cannot effectively practice speaking skills like they do in real life After that, there is the problem of testing It

is agreed that online testing is not reliable because students can access the internet and countless sources of online materials at the time of the exam There are websites and programs that forbid users to do any other activities on the computer while they are taking the test, and they can be considered as a solution Paper-based tests are still the better method of testing, but during online sessions, computer- based tests can somewhat substitute the traditional method, if applied correctly Mathias Schulze and Kyle Scholz (2017) stated that students who had taken online German courses before, feel like the comments they received from their instructors were not immediate enough, not to mention that they were not sufficient In contrast, those who have not taken any foreign language courses do not feel like they need those feedback Similar to the research stated above, students in Mathias and Kyle’s study demonstrated their lack of motivation while studying online This leads to the problem of not finishing their assignments in time and cram everything

at the very last minute Finally, most students expressed their approval towards traditional courses, although they had a nice experience with online sessions

These two research showed that productive skills (speaking and writing) are harder

to be taught online since it requires activeness from learners and online classes are probably quite rigid so they are better at listening and reading skills

The study carried out by Mayu Miyamoto and his colleagues suggest that students rely too much on the flexibility of online classes; therefore, they do not spend enough time practicing the language at home Mayu Miyamoto also mentioned the difficulty when it comes to testing students online since students can easily cheat during that time

The effectiveness of learning foreign languages online

Neda Mohammadia et al (2010) carried out research on the effectiveness of learning foreign languages online, and below are some of the positive effects that have been found out

Firstly, online learning requires, obviously, electronic equipment such as the monitor, keyboard, and speakers These devices can help attract the attention of

learners Audio queues and videos are good factors to stimulate the learners, thus, yield better results Secondly, many instructors utilize games as a teaching device Vocabulary and pronunciation can easily be taught using fun and interesting online minigames This method also helps reduce the stress and anxiety from learners, as they are entertaining themselves and learning at the same time Thirdly, in the case

of learning English, learners will be used to navigating between programs and websites that are written in that language In other words, students will be exposed

to an environment that is full of the language itself, and therefore gain more experience of it Finally, the author mentioned the interesting effect of blogs He stated that language learners can use blogs as a way to express their thoughts about

a particular subject that interests them and they will be received by the community When the articles are shared and spread among the learners of that language, the author will receive constructional comments and motivation to learn

Ferit Kilickaya and Jaroslaw Krajka (2020) studied students learning vocabulary by the traditional method and the online way Learners who study new words through a system called WordChamp demonstrated far better results than those who study with paper-based materials The activities that this software stimulates a connection between the meaning of the words and their forms However, one of the key results taken away from this research shows that while online learning helps students remember more words than conventional learning, each student has a strategy that fits them the most, and that is individualized experience that glossing tools such as WordChamp provide learners

2.1.6 Previous studies about the attitudes of students toward e-learning

Various studies have been carried out to comprehend the students' perception on online learning Some of them will be reviewed down below

Collegium (2021) investigated the perception of medical students on online

learning in Poland An online questionnaire was then distributed to eight hundred and four students and later the results were analyzed with statistical software The questionnaire included demographic details (age, sex, year of study), information about their technology skills and their past experience related to online courses

After this section, the students were presented with six sets of options discussing the advantages and disadvantages of distance education and they had to pick out what is true for them Following this, each student had to make a comparison between traditional face to face mode of training with online learning courses using 5 points Likert scale (1 = definitely ineffective, 5 = definitely effective) regarding the ability to master study objectives such as knowledge, clinical skills, and social competences Students were also asked to state how active they think they are during class (1 = extremely inactive, 5 = extremely active) Finally, students were asked to rate the acceptance level with the online learning system, still using the Likert scale from 1 to

5 (1 = extremely unenjoyable, 5 = extremely enjoyable) The results illustrate that the main advantages of online learning from students’ perceptions were the capability to study at the convenience of their homes, constantly having access to online materials, absorbing knowledge at their own pace and comfortable surrounding environment, while the two prime disadvantages were technical problems and lack

of interaction with patients

Patricia et al (2020) also conducted research involving the students' thoughts,

attitudes and willingness to attempt using distance learning A survey was sent to students from three different countries namely Portugal, UAE and Ukraine The results of the study indicate that the majority of the students feel confident with the ability to use the computer as well as the internet across all countries mentioned despite the enrollment in various content areas A decent number of Portuguese students state that factors such as controlling class and study time, freely choosing their study location and learning at their own speed were the reason why they choose to participate in online courses About two-thirds of students from Ukraine shared that working at their own pace and managing their study time were the reasons to enroll Half of the students in UAE also had the same reasons to participate in distance learning courses as the Portuguese It can also be seen from the data that the most likely reasons why students do not want to enroll were challenges of staying motivated, preferring traditional classes, obstacles in getting prompt feedback, difficulties contacting with the instructor, discussing with peers and missing campus life Factors such as difficulty obtaining accreditation, not

comprehending online learning, feeling of loneliness and high costs were also stated

as reasons not to enroll in online courses

Additionally, it can be noticeable from the research that students in Ukraine were extremely interested in the prospect of online learning, completely opposite to the Portuguese whereas the UAE students fell in between the students from the other two countries Student’ answer on what they would need before joining an online class indicate that they need superior computer gears, writing skills and a non- distracting study environment One quarter of all these students reported that managing time, language and computer skills as well as having clear goals and objectives were necessary Good internet connection, a logical study plan and the feeling of motivation was shared by one third of the students, with the final factor making up mostly of Portuguese students

Roumiana et al (2018) conducted research to investigate learners' attitudes when

they are introduced with online learning and distance education The students were asked to fill in an online survey or paper version depending on their interests A total of 540 participants from the third and last year of Sofia University, representing eleven different faculties answered the survey It was noticeable that most of the attendees were females, accounting for 71 percent The survey used the Likert scale of 1 to 4, ranging from “never” to “often”, dropdown, multichoice, close-questioned (Yes/No) and open-ended questions Fascinating results were seen from the answered survey as an interrelation between employed and unemployed students can be witnessed It illustrated that employed students needed online learning more since it reflected their needs to a higher extent than those who are not employed Additionally, unemployed and employed students generally prefer to submit their assignment, homework or project through the online system, probably because it gives them more flexibility than traditional face to face mode of training; however, the percentage of employed students who enjoy doing this was higher than its counterpart by 11 percent It can be obviously seen that demographic factors do affect the students’ perception of online learning With the help of technological devices, communication between students and teachers were facilitated In addition, they can be much more independent of their time and location

The analysis of the survey also demonstrated that the students clearly enjoy studying online This implied that if this mode of training were to be put into practice, there is a high chance that the students would accept it graciously Not only the students use ICT in their daily life but also want to use them in educational settings Some of the aspects that contribute to effective online learning stated by the students were integrated technologies, interaction between learners, online submission platform and assistance from the teachers

Anna et al (2020) conducted research to illustrate what are perceived to be

valuable in online education and what would enhance their overall experience with E-learning A survey focused on 160 MPA students with the additional help of quantitative and qualitative analysis Students were asked to perceive online education in terms of basic online modality, teaching presence, instructional support, interactive online modality, teaching presence, cognitive presence, and trust in the online learning system With the quantitative survey, questions about how significant some online learning factors are were designed in accordance with 5-point Likert scale On the contrary, an open-ended qualitative question requires students to answer what could possibly create an improvement in their online experience

After the data was analyzed, fundamental perceptions of students towards online education were clearly shown The qualitative data not only gives us information about what truly creates a satisfying online environment but also gives an insight on how to apply these principles Among these factors, online functionality was deemed to be the most important, followed by teaching presence and strong interactive online modality as students might feel alienation and aloneness in an online class and students reported that they were interested in application-oriented discussion using teleconferencing Furthermore, trust in the system was rated the lowest since this can be a problem in the past, but now with new technological advances, there seems to be no challenges regarding this aspect anymore

Florence et al (2018) carried out research to comprehend the attitudes of students

towards the usefulness of twelve various facilitation methods by instructors to

establish instructor presence, instructor connection, engagement and learning After joining an online course in 2016 in US higher education institutions, one hundred and eighty eight students replied to the survey; specifically, there were 126 females and 60 males participants, two of which did not clarify their gender The twelve questionnaire items were grouped into four main smaller categories namely social, managerial, pedagogical and technical strategies A large proportion of these students were education majors (62%) at master level (40%) Doctoral students accounted for 20% and undergraduates made up 25% The usefulness of the items were rated by each student on a scale from 1 to 5 (1-Strongly Disagree, 2- Disagree, 3- Somewhat agree, 4- Agree, 5- Strong Agree) In order to check the accuracy of the study, Cronbach's alpha was calculated All items registered a Cronbach's alpha

of 0.98, with each of the categories standing at 0.91 (Instructor presence), 0.94 (Instructor connection), 0.93 (engagement) and 0.95 (learning)

Two additional questions were asked so as to have an insight into the students’ perception on facilitation strategies One of which investigated students’ perception about what are useful facilitation strategies that instructor adopts but not listed, the second one aimed to identify the facilitation strategies that are thought to be not useful used by instructor but not listed here Descriptive statistics were used and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to examine the construct validity of instrument development To see if the perceptions alternate across gender and discipline, inferential statistics was employed To see if there were links between the perceptions of facilitation strategies and age and the number of online courses joined, Pearson correlation is adopted

Overall, in terms of the twelve strategies, quick instructors’ responses to questions and instructors' timely feedback on assignments/ projects were considered to be the most useful in four constructs Conversely, the lowest rating belonged to interactive visual syllabi, instructional videos and synchronous sessions by instructors

Therefore, it could be seen that all of the research except for one included the use of

the Likert scale from 1 to 4 or 5 to assess the perceptions of the students All of the students in the research mentioned participated in an online class before surveys and

questionnaires were distributed, rendering the results objectively Two of the research had only a small number of attendants, with under 200 students taking part, which might make the results not generalizable, whereas three studies were either carried out across countries or had a large number of students joining (with about

500 to 800 of them) While four studies had students from a variety of majors, the first study only focused on attendees from the medical field, which limits the range

of the research to only that group Notably, from the analysis of the studies, it could

be seen the students had a positive view on online learning systems, and if this mode of training was to be adopted at their universities, they would likely accept it, with the most significant advantage of accessing classes at a remote location at whenever the students want, especially for students who were working a part-time job However, the disadvantage of this mode is the insufficient individualized interaction between the instructors and learner

Chapter III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Meaningful insight about the research methodology is included in this chapter It consists information about what the survey is, where the research occurred and how the data is collected and processed Detailed interpretation is also provided so that the readers can understand the items adopted in the study

3.1 Locale of the study

During the technological era, online learning has become more commonly adopted

in classrooms, especially during the pandemic when students have to stay at home

to study most of the time In response to the current situation, online learning systems have been widely introduced to all the students while they are still expected

to study effectively and gain high scores despite the novel mode of training The research was conducted in Banking Academy, particularly for students studying at the Faculty of Foreign Languages over the period of one academic year starting from 2020 This study is conducted to identify what factors English-major students value when studying online and what would improve the effectiveness of their learning experience Freshman, sophomore, junior and senior students can join the survey to express their personal opinions

3.2 Participants

Table 1 Number of students in each academic year

ATC students First year Second year Third year Final year Total

Number

A total of 225 students currently studying in the Faculty of Foreign Languages from the first, second, third and final year joined the survey There were a total of 79 first-year students, 34 second-year students, 62 third-year students and 50 senior students joining in the research

3.3 Research Instrument

In order to generate the research questions, the researcher devised a survey that used both quantitative and qualitative methods to sample the participants Anna et al (2020) carried out the same approach in their study and proved its effectiveness; therefore, this research would apply similar instruments as well

The survey was separated into four main sections: the respondents demographic, the reasons why they prefer online learning, how important they rate factors related to online learning and what would improve the effectiveness of students’ e-learning experience Section one consists of five questions (1-5) about their gender, year of study, the distance from their house to the university, number of online classes taken and their self-rated experience with computers Section 2 comprises two items (6-7) to understand what students enjoy and dislike about online learning Section 3 includes six sub-categories with thirty three items to investigate how significant online-learning factors are Specifically, the sub-categories are basic online modality, teaching presence, cognitive presence, instructional support, social presence and trust of the system All questions included in section 3 are designed in accordance with five-point Likert scale (1= Very low, 2=Somewhat Low, 3= Medium, 4= Somewhat High, 5= Very High) The final section is an open-ended question on what would improve to enhance learners’ online learning experience The questionnaire was designed on Google Forms and then sent electronically to final year students who are now doing internship The printed forms were physically distributed to students of first, second and third year at university campus The amount of time set for survey completion is at 15 minutes total The researcher spent two weeks collecting data from the students who consented to participate in the research The answers of the participants were kept secret and used for research purposes only After the data was gathered, the analysis process began

3.4 Data processing method

3.4.1 Quantitative data

The quantitative data from the questionnaire was put into SPSS (Statistical Package

for Social Sciences) software to be analyzed thoroughly There are two main steps

for data analysis

Step 1: Setting up a data process framework (Figure 1): As the purpose of the study

is aimed to answer the research questions, the researchers created a questionnaire

that factors in the different aspects of effective online learning to be rated by the

participants In this part, there are a total of six sub-categories with thirty three items to specifically evaluate the system

Figure 1 Data Framework

Step 2: Establishing the steps of data analysis:

1) The data is transferred into an excel file

2) The data is delivered into the SPSS program

3) Variables measurements

A Cronbach’s alpha is calculated

B The mean, standard deviation of questioned items were determined to understand

how significant these factors are to online learning

C Check descriptive statistics of the items in question

3.4.2 Qualitative data

Open-ended questions were employed to find out what factors would enhance

students’ overall learning experience The responses from the students are then

grouped into six sub-categories as mentioned in Figure 1 A total of 125 students

InstructionalSupport

Social Trust in

the System

Cognitive Presence

Teaching Presence