Satisfaction with remote teaching in Thai higher education

Introduction. Emergency remote teaching (ERT) is meant to be a temporary shift from the normal modes of contact teaching. Such transition was imposed during the global pandemic in the spring of 2020, and higher education was required to shift entire curricula online in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus while maintaining continuity of its services. The disruptive overnight change and conversion of entire courses to ERT caused concerns, not only to the educators but also to the students who had little time to adapt to the new circumstances.

Aim. The aim of the study was to examine student perceptions with regard to remote teaching during the global pandemic COVID-19. Moreover, the study aimed to identify attributes, which students deem as the most important during emergency remote teaching.

Methodology and research methods. This mixed-method case study expands earlier research addressing those concerns, and adds to the body of knowledge by investigating how ERT is currently – during the second year of the pandemic – perceived by undergraduate students in Northeastern Thailand. Responses from a self-administered survey were collected and analysed (n = 363). Based on descriptive analysis, it was decided to conduct 12 unstructured interviews to investigate particular findings more thoroughly. An importance-performance rating matrix was used to determine the perceived satisfaction by the undergraduate students.

Results and scientific novelty. The study identified that the students largely view ERT as inferior compared to traditional classroom teaching. Students claimed both lack of social interactions with peers and inability to seek academic support as the primary reasons. This study informs educators about student perceptions and preferences during these extraordinary circumstances of uncertain duration.

Practical significance. The current research presents the recommendations that aim to provide institutions and educators with practical guidance on how to tackle the outlined issues.

1. Li C. S., Irby B. An overview of online education: Attractiveness, benefits, challenges, concerns and recommendations. College Student Journal. 2008; 42 (2).

2. Downes S. Recent work in connectivism. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning (EURODL). 2019; 22 (2): 112–131.

3. Gelles L. A., Lord S. M., Hoople G. D., Chen D. A., Mejia J. A. Compassionate flexibility and self-discipline: Student adaptation to emergency remote teaching in an integrated engineering energy course during COVID-19. Education Sciences. 2020; 10 (11): 304. DOI: 10.3390/educsci10110304

4. Hodges C., Moore S., Lockee B., Trust T., Bond A. The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause Review. 2020; 27: 1–12.

5. Rajab M. H., Gazal A. M., Alkattan K. Challenges to online medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cureus. 2020; 12 (7).

6. Whalen J. Should teachers be trained in emergency remote teaching? Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2020 June 06]; 28 (2): 189–199. Available from: https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/215995

7. Fuchs K., Karrila S. The perceived satisfaction with Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) amidst COVID-19: An exploratory case study in higher education. The Education and Science Journal. 2021; 23 (5): 116–130. DOI: 10.17853/1994-5639-2021-5-116-130

8. Themelis C., Sime J. A. From Video-Conferencing to Holoportation and Haptics: How Emerging Technologies Can Enhance Presence in Online Education? In: Yu S., Ally M., Tsinakos A. (eds.). Emerging technologies and pedagogies in the curriculum. Bridging human and machine: Future education with intelligence. Singapore: Springer; 2020. p. 261–276. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-0618-5_16

9. Fuchs K. Advances in tourism education: A qualitative inquiry about Emergency Remote Teaching in higher education. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism. 2021; 12 (2): 538–543. DOI: 10.14505//jemt.v12.2(50).23

10. Palvia S., Aeron P., Gupta P., Mahapatra D., Parida R., Rosner R., Sindhi S. Online education: Worldwide status, challenges, trends, and implications. Journal of Global Information Technology Management. 2018; 21 (4): 233–241. DOI: 10.1080/1097198X.2018.1542262

11. Martin F., Stamper B., Flowers C. Examining Student Perception of Readiness for Online Learning: Importance and Confidence. Online Learning. 2020; 24 (2): 38–58.

12. Kyne S. H., Thompson C. D. The COVID Cohort: Student transition to university in the face of a global pandemic. Journal of Chemical Education. 2020; 97 (9): 3381–3385. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00769

13. Wilcox B., Vignal M. Recommendations for emergency remote teaching based on the student experience. The Physics Teacher. 2020; 58 (1): 374. DOI: 10.1119/10.0001828

14. Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia O., Pant H. A., Coates H. Assessing student learning outcomes in higher education: Challenges and international perspectives. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 2016; 41 (5): 655–661. DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2016.1169501

15. Fay D. L., Zavattaro S. M. Branding and isomorphism: The case of higher education. Public Administration Review. 2016; 76 (5): 805–815. DOI: 10.1111/puar.12626

16. Zyngier D. (Re)conceptualising student engagement: Doing education not doing time. Teaching and Teacher Education. 2008; 24 (7): 1765–1776. DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2007.09.004

17. Kahu E. R. Framing student engagement in higher education. Studies in Higher Education. 2013; 38 (5): 758–773. DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2011.598505

18. Nepal R., Rogerson A. M. From theory to practice of promoting student engagement in business and law-related disciplines: The case of undergraduate economics education. Education Sciences. 2020; 10 (8): 205. DOI: 10.3390/educsci10080205

19. Suikkanen J. An improved whole life satisfaction theory of happiness. International Journal of Wellbeing. 2011; 1 (1): 149–166. DOI: 10.5502/ijw.v1i1.6

20. Muhsin S., Nurkhin A., Pramusinto H., Afsari N., Arham A. F. The relationship of good university governance and student satisfaction. International Journal of Higher Education. 2020; 9 (1); 1–10. DOI: 10.5430/ijhe.v9n1p1

21. Busacca B., Padula G. Understanding the relationship between attribute performance and overall satisfaction: Theory, measurement and implications. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 2005; 23 (6): 543–561. DOI: 10.1108/02634500510624110

22. Weerasinghe I. S., Fernando R. L. Students’ satisfaction in higher education. American Journal of Educational Research [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2020 June 06]; 5 (5): 533–539. Available from: http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/5/5/9

23. Zhang Y., Wildemuth B. M. Unstructured interviews. Applications of social research methods to questions in information and library science. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2009. p. 222–231.

24. Prevett P. S., Black L., Hernandez-Martinez P., Pampaka M., Williams J. Integrating thematic analysis with cluster analysis of unstructured interview datasets: An evaluative case study of an inquiry into values and approaches to learning mathematics. International Journal of Research & Method in Education. 2021; 44 (3): 273–286.

25. Norwegian National Research Ethics Committees. In: Guidelines for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences, Humanities, Law and Theology (NESH) [Internet]. 2019 June 08 [cited 2020 June 06]. Available from: https://www.forskningsetikk.no/en/guidelines/

26. Zawojewski J. S., Shaughnessy J. M. Take time for action: Mean and median: Are they really so easy? Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. 2000; 5 (7): 436–440. DOI: 10.5951/MTMS.5.7.0436

27. Ong M. H. A., Puteh F. Quantitative data analysis: Choosing between SPSS, PLS, and AMOS in social science research. International Interdisciplinary Journal of Scientific Research. 2017; 3 (1): 14–25.

28. Easa N. F., Bazzi A. M. COVID-19 and lack of socialization: does service innovation become an imperative for universities? International Journal of Disruptive Innovation in Government. 2021; 1 (2): 82–103. DOI: 10.1108/IJDIG-11-2020-0006

29. Khlaif Z. N., Salha S., Kouraichi B. Emergency remote learning during COVID-19 crisis: Students’ engagement. Education and Information Technologies. 2021; 26: 7033–7055. DOI: 10.1007/s10639-021-10566-4