Zhao, X. orcid.org/0000-0002-8968-6912 and Xue, W. (2023) From online to offline education in the post-pandemic era: challenges encountered by international students at British universities. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. 1093475. ISSN 1664-1078
Abstract
Background: After 2 years of anti-pandemic struggles, universities in the United Kingdom have started to witness a reverse transition, a shift from online to offline education. This includes encouraging students to begin face-to-face programmes and allowing flexibility for remote learners, but later requiring all students to return to campus by a certain date.
Objectives: This paper aims to explore the challenges and impacts brought about by this new transition and provide recommendations for universities to enhance student experience for future adversity.
Method: This qualitative study conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 international students from a British university to explore their experiences during the transition. The results were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: Our data revealed both internal and external challenges to students during the online-to-offline shift, which lead to a general resistance to said shift. Specifically, policy challenges (e.g., policy conflicts) imposed the most significant impacts on international students, resulting in psychological anxiety, financial losses, and negative learning experiences. The reduction of digital tools and learning materials during the shift also presented challenges to students who developed a reliance on digital resources while learning remotely. Other challenges have also been identified, including academic barriers and social engagement issues.
Conclusion: By highlighting these challenges, this paper has practical implications for university policy decisions and provides recommendations for supporting students’ transition back to traditional offline learning.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 Zhao and Xue. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) |
Keywords: | online-offline transition; international student experience; post-pandemic; student transition; learning experience |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Information School (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 20 Jan 2023 11:44 |
Last Modified: | 06 Feb 2023 13:51 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Frontiers Media S.A. |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1093475 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:195501 |