Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Semnan University. Semnan. Iran
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to present the experience of Semnan University students in virtual education. The covid-19 pandemic caused the widespread use of virtual space capacities and technological tools in education, but the unpreparedness of students and information technology users has brought challenges for them. This qualitative research seeks to know the experience of Semnan University students in the psychology faculty who had positive or negative experiences in encountering the new information space. A semi-structured interview was used to collect data. The gathered data were analyzed via the qualitative data analysis methods by using the Grounded Theory method and by using Max QDA. More than 72 interviews were conducted until data saturation (after 52 interviews). The findings showed that despite various challenges and disadvantages such as the weakness of the Internet, and hardware and software problems, the students of Semnan University Psychology Faculty have welcomed this type of education due to the advantages of virtual education. Although there were different views about the future of virtual education among the students present in the present study, the interesting point in the findings of this study was that despite the desire for face-to-face education by individuals, the desire for integrated education was also widespread among the interviewers. The interviewers preferred virtual training with special conditions to face-to-face training. Conditions in which the problems and challenges associated with the use of virtual education are minimized. The current research is original in terms of the research community and research methodology.
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