The paper titled "The New Normal: Online Classes and Assessments during the COVID-19 Outbreak" primarily focuses on the experiences and opinions of university students and teachers from five countries—Saudi Arabia, India, Turkey, England, and Canada—regarding the transition to online learning and assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The purpose of the study is to investigate how this sudden shift affected the teaching and learning processes, specifically exploring the challenges faced by both students and teachers in adapting to virtual environments and evaluating whether online platforms could match the effectiveness of traditional face-to-face education.
The methodology employed in the study includes the use of two sets of questionnaires—one for students and one for teachers—comprising 17 variables on a five-point Likert scale. These questionnaires were distributed among 150 participants, including 90 students and 60 teachers, across the aforementioned countries. The data were analyzed statistically using SPSS software.
Key findings of the research indicate that both students and teachers faced significant challenges in adopting online teaching, with many expressing dissatisfaction with the quality and effectiveness of virtual learning compared to traditional classroom settings. Notably, there was little significant difference in the experiences and opinions of students and teachers across the five countries. The study suggests that blended learning, combining online and face-to-face elements, might be a future solution to improve educational outcomes.
The study concludes that while online learning was a necessity during the pandemic, it did not fully meet the standards of face-to-face education. The researchers highlight the importance of developing unified online curricula, improving digital tool competency, ensuring stable internet connectivity, and creating innovative teaching strategies to enhance the quality of online education. The paper also emphasizes the need for continuous professional development for teachers and institutional support to better prepare for future educational challenges.