Abstract:

In the current context, the educational process has to be planned and implemented in extremely unusual conditions that require educators to take a new look at the organizational and methodological content of training. In addition to the common difficulties in the study of natural sciences, the problem of organizing and conducting classes in a predominantly distance-learning environment has arisen. In the absence of face-to-face student-professor communication, students’ self-directed learning activities become dominant, and in these conditions, it is necessary to maintain learners’ interest both in the subject and, more broadly, in knowledge acquisition.

The aim of our work was to improve the educational process organized through the use of distance learning technologies, to evaluate their effectiveness, and to make the necessary adjustments in teaching physics to first- and second-year undergraduate students. The task was to find out students’ attitudes to the use of various forms of active learning in studying physics and to identify the degree of their motivation to study in an unfamiliar learning environment.
To accomplish the task, a survey was conducted among students upon completion of the physics course. Almost one hundred respondents took part in the anonymous survey. The sample was made up of students who studied physics in their first year at the Institute of Physics and Technology, Petrozavodsk State University.

The survey questions were aimed at identifying students' attitudes to various aspects of the learning process and evaluating the effectiveness of the methods used by the authors to increase students’ academic motivation. The survey also included a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the educational process restructuring in a forced predominantly distance-learning environment from the perspectives of professors and students.

The questions offered for self-analysis can be roughly divided into the following groups: the organization of the learning process (including distance learning format); academic motivation; personal competence and communication skills of students and professors; reflection. As part of the survey, students were also asked to formulate their opinions on the results of studying the course of physics and to give recommendations for improving teaching.

The research findings indicated that within a predominantly distance-learning environment, it worked out well to organize systematic students’ activities in all proposed educational areas, to ensure fairly balanced self-directed students’ work, and to motivate undergraduates to study physics.

The survey data analysis provided feedback between the subjects of the educational process, thus allowing us to evaluate its organization considering the opinions of both students and professors. The results obtained suggest that the work on the organization of education delivery should be continued within the motivation and activity concept of active learning, taking into account the introduction of distance learning into the educational environment.

Keywords:

Survey, distance learning, teaching physics, motivation.