Explore students’ attitude to distance learning as an alternate for studying abroad in the COVID-19 era in Taiwan

Start Date

26-3-2021 4:45 PM

End Date

26-3-2021 5:00 PM

Description

The COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing had an enormous impact on global education and higher education. International Association University (IAU) stated that COVID-19 pandemic has shifted student mobility from physical to virtual mode; global student mobility of higher education institutions has been impacted more than 90% (IAU, 2020). Accordingly, during school interruption, distance learning, performed by digital, asynchronous or synchronous and other virtual forms of courses, was provided, which has transformed the access to technical tools along with instructions and learning skills. Students overseas were between the alternates of returning home and staying abroad and forced themselves to take the non-physically remote education as a substitute to continue their studies.

However, students who were planning to study abroad after their local school graduation before the COVID-19 pandemic has been constrained by remoteness and sudden shift. Those who are suffering from planning the shift as attendance distance courses to insisting on going overseas. Consequently, international student virtual mobility has been transformed intensely, from a taking-part-in the MOOCs or other online courses into a takenpart-in higher education. For Asia students, studying abroad is always an option due to advanced employability, academic learning achievement or exotic experience. Under the circumstances, the number of students learning and working overseas is reaching the peak year by year in Taiwan before the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, in the COVID-19 era, Taiwan prevented diseases from wide spreading and minimised the epidemic impact on people's daily as well as avoided the national lockdown because of timely crisis management and energetic response. It made Taiwanese student virtual mobility critical and a dilemma.

The purpose of this study is to fill the gap in this issue and to explore Taiwan students’ virtual mobility in higher education in the COVID-19 era. The exploration is valued to the one who are planning for studying overseas and the institutions which need to plan courses. Research questions addressed as follows: (1) In the COVID-19 era, what is Taiwan college students’ attitude towards distance learning as an alternate studying abroad? (2) In the COVID-19 era, what is Taiwan college students’ students’ attitude towards taking a degree from physical inclassroom courses and through distance courses?

The participants for the study are the total of 279 Taiwan undergraduate and postgraduate students. The online based survey was conducted during January in 2021. Data was analysed with Hierarchical regression. Results presents: There are significant deviation in students’ attitude toward distance learning as an alternate studying abroad between students’ different intent of studying abroad. For students with intent of studying abroad, over 45% of them prefer taking both online and in-classroom courses overseas. Students who has positive intention of taking online course is also positive to taking degree online.

Recommended Citation

Tsai, L. (2021, March). Explore students’ attitude to distance learning as an alternate for studying abroad in the COVID-19 era in Taiwan. Presented at the Postgraduate Conference on Interdisciplinary Learning: Re-Imagining Postgraduate Studies in the 21st Century and Beyond. Lingnan University, Hong Kong.

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Mar 26th, 4:45 PM Mar 26th, 5:00 PM

Explore students’ attitude to distance learning as an alternate for studying abroad in the COVID-19 era in Taiwan

The COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing had an enormous impact on global education and higher education. International Association University (IAU) stated that COVID-19 pandemic has shifted student mobility from physical to virtual mode; global student mobility of higher education institutions has been impacted more than 90% (IAU, 2020). Accordingly, during school interruption, distance learning, performed by digital, asynchronous or synchronous and other virtual forms of courses, was provided, which has transformed the access to technical tools along with instructions and learning skills. Students overseas were between the alternates of returning home and staying abroad and forced themselves to take the non-physically remote education as a substitute to continue their studies.

However, students who were planning to study abroad after their local school graduation before the COVID-19 pandemic has been constrained by remoteness and sudden shift. Those who are suffering from planning the shift as attendance distance courses to insisting on going overseas. Consequently, international student virtual mobility has been transformed intensely, from a taking-part-in the MOOCs or other online courses into a takenpart-in higher education. For Asia students, studying abroad is always an option due to advanced employability, academic learning achievement or exotic experience. Under the circumstances, the number of students learning and working overseas is reaching the peak year by year in Taiwan before the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, in the COVID-19 era, Taiwan prevented diseases from wide spreading and minimised the epidemic impact on people's daily as well as avoided the national lockdown because of timely crisis management and energetic response. It made Taiwanese student virtual mobility critical and a dilemma.

The purpose of this study is to fill the gap in this issue and to explore Taiwan students’ virtual mobility in higher education in the COVID-19 era. The exploration is valued to the one who are planning for studying overseas and the institutions which need to plan courses. Research questions addressed as follows: (1) In the COVID-19 era, what is Taiwan college students’ attitude towards distance learning as an alternate studying abroad? (2) In the COVID-19 era, what is Taiwan college students’ students’ attitude towards taking a degree from physical inclassroom courses and through distance courses?

The participants for the study are the total of 279 Taiwan undergraduate and postgraduate students. The online based survey was conducted during January in 2021. Data was analysed with Hierarchical regression. Results presents: There are significant deviation in students’ attitude toward distance learning as an alternate studying abroad between students’ different intent of studying abroad. For students with intent of studying abroad, over 45% of them prefer taking both online and in-classroom courses overseas. Students who has positive intention of taking online course is also positive to taking degree online.