The purpose of this research is to present the experience of Semnan University students in the era of 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 at 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 Max QDA software (version 2020). 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 and slowness of the Internet, 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. So far, no research has been conducted on the virtual education experience of Semnan University students, and this research is the first of its kind.

Introduction

The use of electronic devices and information technology has become a normal and natural thing today. If not long ago, learning to use electronic devices was limited to a specific period such as studying at university, today the powerful and influential presence of electronic devices in various parts of human life, in addition to influencing their lifestyle, has also made the need to use them instantaneous, significant, and unavoidable. The present study seeks to understand the lived experience of psychology students at the Faculty of Psychology, Semnan University, in the field of virtual education.
 
Research Questions
The main questions of the present study are:

How did students at the Faculty of Psychology of Semnan University feel about using virtual education, and what was their lived experience in this education?
What are the challenges of virtual education from the perspective of psychology students at the Faculty of Psychology of Semnan University?
What are the advantages of virtual education from the perspective of students at the Faculty of Psychology of Semnan University?
What are the disadvantages of virtual education from the perspective of students at the Faculty of Psychology of Semnan University?
How do psychology students at Semnan University think about the future of virtual education, and do they prefer virtual or face-to-face education?
Literature Review

By reviewing the research conducted in the area of individuals' lived experience in using virtual education (such as Al-Mohair, & Alwahaishi, 2020, Dong, 2020, Martins et al., 2021, Teo & Divakar, 2021), it is observed that when we observe the lived experience of different student groups and individuals in society in various studies, we realize that identifying the lived experience of individuals can be useful in maximum and deep understanding of the community using virtual education. This understanding ultimately leads to a correct understanding of the conditions of education, learners, and the virtual education space. As Mahmoudi and Hassanzadeh (1400) examined the users' mental image of public libraries and examined their lived experience and concluded that a correct understanding of individuals' lived experience can help in accurate and effective policymaking. This research also seeks to recognize and understand the virtual education experience of psychology students at Semnan University.
 

Methodology

The present study was conducted qualitatively and phenomenologically. The research community included psychology students at the Faculty of Psychology of Semnan University who had used the university's virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using semi-structured interviews, the researcher attempted to collect the required data from the research community. The number of students at the time of the study was approximately six hundred, and the researcher attempted to gradually obtain the data he needed through the research community with the help of snowball sampling. Sampling was not conducted. The data collection process continued until data saturation. Seventy-two interviews were conducted in the researcher's office. Simultaneous data analysis showed that no new data were obtained from data fifty-two onwards. The collected data were finally coded and analyzed with the help of Max Quda software, version 2020. At the beginning of the interview, the interviewees were given the necessary explanations about their rights and ethical issues surrounding the use of data, and their consent to conduct the interview was obtained. The required interviews were recorded using a mobile phone. The recorded interviews were immediately transcribed and entered into the Max Quda software in Word format. The data analysis process was carried out simultaneously with data collection. The technique of continuous comparison between data, note-taking during implementation, and control of the extracted codes by re-presenting them to the members of the research community was carried out.

Results

In data analysis, a total of 198 free codes were obtained. From the interviews conducted, a total of 65 free codes related to the first research question were obtained. After categorizing the free codes, 11 main categories were finally obtained, which included (feeling of ambiguity in education, feeling of peace after getting acquainted with the system, feeling of satisfaction, feeling of happiness, feeling of sadness, stress, fear, feeling of new and different, feeling of pleasure, boring classes, and feeling of worry). In the data analysis, 49 open codes were obtained related to the second research question. After categorizing the open codes, 10 main categories were finally identified as the main challenges considered by the students in the interview, including "learning performance, virtual exam challenges, internet challenges, voice and microphone challenges, challenges entering and leaving classes, absenteeism, chaotic environment, power outages, hardware problems, and lack of face-to-face communication". A total of 33 open codes related to the third research question were obtained in simultaneous data analysis. In addition to some advantages such as cheap education and access to various types of education, some points such as the use of multimedia in education and learning, increased self-confidence, the possibility of expressing opinions more easily through text chat, video chat, voice chat, studying with family and remotely, studying and working simultaneously, producing electronic content, availability of resources, high speed in learning, reducing in-person stress and enhancing learning through listening were raised by the interviewees as advantages of virtual education. In the free coding stage, a total of 43 free codes related to the fourth research question were obtained. After categorization, 15 central categories were extracted from the free codes. "Student stress, practical lesson challenges, virtual class interruption, sound interruption, internet challenges, virtual exam stress, eye health challenges, difficulty entering the classroom, little break time, educational challenges, lack of face-to-face communication, class boredom, decreased mutual interaction between teacher and student, decreased in-person communication, and decreased academic level", the categories obtained. In response to the question of whether students participating in the interviews were inclined to continue or discontinue virtual education, given the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of virtual education, and what they thought the future of virtual education would be like, the answers included categories such as purely virtual education, purely in-person education, virtual education with special conditions, and blended education.

Discussion and Conclusion

The present study showed that despite various challenges and disadvantages such as weak and slow internet, hardware and software problems, students of the Faculty of Psychology of Semnan University have welcomed this type of education due to the advantages of virtual education. Although there were different views among the students present in the present study regarding the future of virtual education, an interesting point in the findings of the present study was that despite the desire for face-to-face education by individuals, there was also a strong desire for blended education among the interviewees. The interviewees preferred virtual education with specific conditions to face-to-face education alone. Conditions in which the problems and challenges associated with using virtual education are minimized.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Ms. Fatemeh Zolfagharian, the kind librarian of the Faculty of Psychology at Semnan University.