The view of Gaza Strip university students towards the problems of e-learning in light of the Corona pandemic

 

 

Al Sharq Center for Research and Culture conducts opinion polls on various topics, To define public opinion, researchers, politicians and stakeholders, The attitudes of the respondents towards different issues.

 

The East Center for Research and Culture is also keen on impartiality and complete objectivity in all its surveys. Therefore, no name or address is asked, No personal information is collected about the people surveyed. With the aim of giving the respondent the greatest degree of personal security to reach objective and abstract answers.

 

In this survey, questions were asked to Palestinian university students in the Gaza Strip. The survey was limited to students from four universities, It is the largest in the Gaza Strip: Al-Quds Open University, The Islamic University, Al-Aqsa University, and Al-Azhar University. The students were reached through a special link that is not displayed on the center’s website page. It was sent to them via student groups and some university faculty members. The survey was answered by 237 students.

 

The poll was divided into two axes:

 

The first axis dealt with the basic information of the surveyed groups, such as gender, level, and the university.

 

The survey included 95 males (40.1%). and 142 females (59.9%).

 

In terms of the participation of students from universities, The number of participants in the survey from Al-Quds Open University reached 91 students, or 38.6%, which is the largest percentage. And from Al-Aqsa University 74 students (31.4%), And from the Islamic University 40 students with a rate of 15.6%, Al-Azhar University has 32 students (14.3%).

It should be noted that there is no relationship between the number of participants from these universities and the results of the survey. It was considered a neutral factor subject to access to student participants, No more.

Follow the results of the survey of university students towards the problems of e-learning

In terms of academic level, 147 first-level university students participated in the survey. by 62%, The number of remaining students was distributed at all other levels, There were a total of 90 students, by 38%.

 

 

In terms of study disciplines, The percentage of participants from students of humanities and Sharia sciences reached 172 students. by 72.6%, While the remaining numbers were distributed among other disciplines, There were a total of 65 students, by 27.4%. Thus, the largest percentage of respondents are students who use computer technology less in their field of study. In addition The largest percentage of first-year students are not familiar with e-learning before.

 

 

The second axis dealt with the subject of the survey, It included five questions:

 

First question: I’m having an exam system that doesn’t prevent cheating:

The results of the participants showed that 62 students (26.3%) believe that the home electronic examination system does not prevent cheating by a very small percentage. And 83 students, 34.8%, see it as not forbidden, by a small percentage, And 42 students (17.9%) see it does not prevent cheating by a large percentage, And 50 students, 21%, see it as not preventing cheating in a very large percentage. Thus, the majority of students (62 + 83 students (61.1%) do not see a problem with the home electronic examination system.

 

This may be caused by one of two possibilities: First, these students fear tightening the examination system if they answer that it helps to cheat. The second is that they saw in him comfort and ease without the need to cheat. 38.9% of other students say they consider this system of exams to be helpful in cheating. These students may be those who fear for their real competition in an atmosphere that allows cheating and enables weak students to excel.

 

They may have been involved in a fraud and found it possible. Or those who wish to immunize the exams from any possibility of questioning them. Be that as it may, It is necessary for those responsible for exams in these and other universities to guard against opportunities for cheating, And work on developing exam tools to ensure the integrity of exams.

 

Second question: The problem of difficulty conducting a review:

 

31 students (13%) believe that this problem is very small. And just like them they see it as few. 61 students (25.6%) believe that this problem is big and 114 students (48.4%) see it as very large. Thus, 74% of those who see it as a problem. Which indicates that there is a real problem for most students, Taking into account that the majority of respondents are first-year students, Less familiar with the university’s procedures. This requires the administration of examinations in universities to overcome the means of review.

 

Third question: There are courses that e-learning is not suitable for:

 

27 students, 11.6%, believe that the courses that e-learning are not suitable for are very few. And 62 students (26.3%) see it as few, While 81 students see it as large (33.9%), And 67 students, 28.1%, see it as very large. Thus, 62% of students believe that many courses are not suitable for e-learning.

 

Among these courses mentioned by students and they see them as not suitable for e-learning, All of them belong to applied sciences:

• Accounting principles

• Computer materials.

• Scientific materials.

• Statistics and mathematics.

While the students mentioned courses suitable for e-learning, And all of them belong to the humanities:

• Drainage and grammar.

• Principles of sociology.

• Colonialism and liberation movements.

• Palestine and the cause.

Fourth question: E-designs are prepared in advance for all courses:

 

52 students, or 21.9%, believe that the electronic designs prepared for the courses are very few. And 108 students (45.5%) see it as few, While 54 students (22.8%) see it as a lot, And 23 students (9.8%) see it as too much. Thus the majority of students, 67.4% believe that the electronic designs of the courses are few.

 

There is no doubt that the majority of the students surveyed are from humanities and Sharia sciences, They fall into this large percentage. This requires university administrations and academics to give more importance to the electronic designs of their courses.

 

Fifth question: Sufficient practice on exam questions is available for each course:

 

71 students (29.9%) indicated that the exam question exercises, or the mock exams for very few courses, 111 students, 46.9%, considered it small, While 49 students (20.5%) considered it a lot, Only 6 students, or 2.7%, said that the trainings were too many.

 

This indicates that the majority of students expect a lot of question exercises, 76.8% of students indicated that the exercises are low. This requires academics, faculty members and academic departments in universities to provide trial exams for courses and provide sufficient numbers of training questions in the hands of students to practice them in light of e-learning.

 

 

Summary of the survey of university students towards the problems of e-learning:

 

• 237 students from four universities in the Gaza Strip responded to the survey. The percentage of females among them was about 60%, And about 62% of first-level students, And about 73% of the students of humanities and Sharia.

• 61% of the students surveyed do not see a problem with the home electronic examination system.

• 74% of the survey sample believe that there is a problem with the examination review system in light of e-learning.

• 62% of the survey sample believe that many courses are not suitable for e-learning.

• 67% of the survey sample believe that the electronic designs of the courses are few.

• 77% of the survey sample believe that there are few exercises and experimental exams.