Student readiness: Training and re-training in online higher education

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic experienced placed considerable pressures on education. This paper explores the challenges faced by university students when operating in a blended learning environment. Students were asked to interact with a Moodle-based online environment. An initial focus group, followed by a series of in-depth interviews, was carried out with a group of undergraduates from the University of Malta. Thematic analysis was adopted to identify the main themes highlighting their concerns. The findings suggest that students had an incomplete set of competences required to interact effectively with the online environment. They were having great difficulty in self-managing their time between study and other commitments. When training was provided, student online interactivity increased and the quality of the work submitted improved. The study reiterates the need for students to be given the right combination of knowledge, skills and competences which need to be continually updated due to the evolving nature of online learning environments