Abstract:

Unprecedented events caused by the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic led to the need for slovak college students to conclude the spring 2020 semester via distance learning approaches. Education was transformed from present to distance form due to terrible pandemic situation caused by the second wave of pandemic and this negative trend has been continued up to now. Distance learning can bring for students positive and negative aspects that can be evaluated individually. We evaluated forms and approaches of education. Presented research paper deals with education of college students influenced by new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 during the first and the second wave of pandemic COVID-19. The aim of the research work was to analyse education under loading of pandemic situation COVID-19 at selected Slovak universities (SUA and CPU in Nitra) focused on various aspects: aspect of duration pandemic in term of time (comparison of the first and the second wave of pandemic), aspect of education degree in collegies (comparison of bachelor´s and master – the 1st and the 2nd degree of study) taken into account aspect before and during pandemic – accompanied with lockdown, isolation and prevailing of home office, online education resp. distance form of education with strict restrictions. The students (n=389) had from 19 up to 50 years (23.6 ± 5.3 years), 81.2% women and 18.8% men. The first wave was in period March – July 2020, the second wave has been from August – May 2020. The research in the 1. wave involved 40.9% and in the 2. wave 59.1% of college students. The set of students was represented by 59.4% in bachelor´s degree of study and 46% in master degree of study. Statistical analyses were provided by software Statistica 10.0 (StatSoft Inc., USA) at level of significance p < 0.05, including a comparison in quartiles by factors. The results of questionnaire proved that students preffered partial together with final verification of knowledges during learning (69.4% before and 62.5% during pandemic) in relation to all three aspects. The project method/semestral work was the popular form of partial and final evaluation especially in the 1. wave of pandemic. In forms of evaluation students had limited time for exam most often during pandemic especially in the second wave in comparison with the first wave (87% vs. 79.2%, p < 0.001). The differences represented about 29.5% more students in the first wave and about 28.7% more students compared to situation before pandemic. This form of exam was used mainly in bachelor´s study and in situation during pandemic (in bachelor´s degree +30.3% during pandemic, in master degree +27.2% in pandemic). In question if students were satisfied with limited time in exams they chose the alternative rather yes more frequently during 2. pandemic wave (38.3% vs. 23.9%, p < 0.05). With project form of evaluation with written problem solving during 24 hour the most of students rather agree. Students that agreed or rather agreed with this form represented 53.2% before and 55.3% during pandemic. The mostly utilized forms of education were before pandemic: oral presentation by teacher (86.1%), visual presentation (84.1%), projects/individual works of students (64.5%), and during pandemic: online video-presentation (79.7%), online oral presentation (70.4%), online visual presentation by teacher (40.1%). Forms of teaching as well as knowledge evaluation were significantly transformed and resystematized during the pandemic.

Keywords:

Covid-19, pandemic, education, college students, Slovak universities.