Abstract:

The unprecedented situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic had major repercussions on many departments, including the educational one, where Romanian universities are no exception. Forced online learning was an alternative to face to face. The emotional state of the students from three universities in Bucharest, Romania, as well as the way they managed the learning during the pandemic are the main elements of this research. The research was conducted on a sample of 116 students selected from three universities in Bucharest, Romania. The methods were both quantitative and qualitative and data collection tool was survey-based questionnaire. We mention that the questionnaire contained closed but also open questions, giving us the opportunity to compare the results both quantitatively and qualitatively. It was found that most students at the universities were stressed during their online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stress was due on the one hand to the large volume of teaching and homework but also to the pace imposed by teachers to cope successfully with this situation. The evaluation was also a stress factor for the students given that the technology could create problems for them and they could not finish the work during the given time. The paper presents the quantitative and qualitative studies that were made, together with the analysis of the results and its conclusions. The results of this research provide insights into the opinions of the students regarding their learning and emotional problems

Keywords:

COVID-19 pandemic, Higher education, stress, online learning.