Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the global closure of educational institutions and the rapid transition to online education. In this context, teachers and students had to adapt quickly to a remote teaching-learning process. Teachers had to make a considerable effort to adapt the available resources and adopt suitable online methods. At the same time, the population faced health, social, and economic challenges, and emotions such as confusion, frustration, discouragement, and anxiety increased.
A study was conducted at the School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering (ETSIAAB) of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) to assess the impact of online teaching and evaluation on student motivation and learning outcomes. The opinions of 108 students enrolled in two mandatory subjects: Waste Management, Treatment and Utilisation (3rd year of Agri-environmental Eng.) and Applied Chemistry (1st year of Agricultural Eng.) were collected. The study focused on several key aspects of the teaching-learning process, including the implementation of e-learning, student participation, and students' perception and satisfaction. Finally, the students' level of stress and their perception of the teachers' attitudes towards the difficulties encountered were evaluated.
The results show that both 1st year and 3rd year students were very satisfied with the chosen strategies and activities. New resources, such as practical videos and PowerPoint presentations with audio, were introduced in the academic year 2019-2020. These resources were maintained in the following academic year, with teaching following the established schedule. Online questionnaires and exercise handouts – with subsequent feedback from the teacher – were provided to the students. Over 84% of students found the activities useful for achieving their goals, enhancing engagement, and improving motivation.
However, the transition to online learning during the pandemic caused considerable stress and demotivation among students, particularly in the 2019-20 academic year. Self-perceived stress levels were higher for 1st year students (3.0/4.0) compared with 3rd year students (2.6/4.0). In the subsequent academic year, stress levels decreased (2.4/4.0, for both subjects). Academic success rates were higher in the 2019-20 academic year compared with the 2020-21 academic year. The return to presential exams and pandemic fatigue in this past year (2020-21) contributed to the lowest success rates in the last decade.
In conclusion, overall, students were highly satisfied with the online teaching strategies and activities, which had a positive impact on engagement and motivation. However, during the academic year 2019-20, students reported high levels of stress. It is essential to address this stress and provide the necessary support to ensure their educational success. In the future, stress management activities should be implemented to improve student performance in various situations and at all educational levels. Furthermore, conducting further research is important to explore the factors influencing emotional well-being, student motivation and academic success.

Keywords:

Learning, Pandemic, Stress Impact, Academic Success, motivation, students emotions.