Page 22 - Accelerating Research and Impact - Issue 5

Features
Can traditional classroom learning be replaced?
19 Accelerating Research and Impact
STUDENTS VOICES
& CHOICES
Only 27% of university students in Hong Kong were satisfied with their online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 60% found online learning less beneficial than classroom teaching, a survey by the School of Graduate Studies (GS) revealed.
Regarding factors that affect the effectiveness of online learning, nearly 60% respondents were concerned about the “stability of internet connection”, about half said they were affected by no “in-class interaction” and 45% by the lack of “after-class communication and engagement with instructors”.
The study also notes that over 85% of respondents hope to resume face-to-face teaching supplemented by online learning after the pandemic.
Dr Weiyan XIONG and Ms Guo Guo KE of the GS, who conducted the study, find from the survey that traditional classroom learning cannot be replaced at present. As students’ familiarity with how online learning platforms operate has a considerable impact on their learning satisfaction, they suggested that higher education institutions should improve their online learning skills and IT literacy, and the HKSAR Government should support systematic research on online learning by universities to find out the best practice in the long run, for example, how to maximise the effectiveness of online learning, make the most of it to supplement face-to-face teaching, and to explore the feasibility of inter-university online learning.