Abstract:

Covid-19 pandemics have challenged not just health sector, but also changed the regular teaching practices. The major changes are related not just to transitioning of all interactive activities (such as classes, seminars, consultations) to virtual environment but also to changing the organisation and forms of assignments and examinations.

The paper discusses the patterns and impact of Covid-19 situation on organization of assignments and examinations, presenting a comparative case study of two master degree courses.

Methodology:
evaluation survey of study modules and qualitative interviews with students during and after completion of the courses.

Findings:
Early evidence on the Covid-19 impact on students’ satisfaction with studies during pandemic time relies on innovativeness of the teacher to adapt assignments and forms of collaborative work to new conditions. Students in classes that used the same assignment form as usual were less satisfied with study module than students, who were exposed to innovative practices to organize assignments. Shifting to qualitative approach in composing assignments was very helpful as well. Students were emphasizing the value of such assignments as evaluation of the situation, role play from different stakeholder perspectives, challenge based projects, case studies. Interaction with teachers and group work organization was facilitated also by technological tools that were used in zoom classes (such as Miro, etc.). Frequent virtual communication among students also was a facilitating factor to be more satisfied with the learning process.

Keywords:

Covid-19, assignments, examinations, satisfaction, information technology.