Online Education in the COVID-19 Pandemic—Premise for Economic Competitiveness Growth?

Abstract

In today’s context, marked by globalization and a growing recognition of interdependencies, there is a permanent change in the world’s economic big picture. In this ever-changing environment, competitiveness is the key factor when it comes to passing the test of requirements on all levels. Obviously, competitiveness, in turn, is conditioned by several elements, one of which being the quality of the workforce. The current situation, strongly influenced by the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, imposes new rules of conduct, and organizations must be inventive if they wish to survive in this period. As a basic pillar of competitiveness, education cannot and should not lag behind, as the transfer of knowledge must continue with or without COVID-19. The questions arise: Can online education train the younger generations and provide them with the skills they need in order to adapt to the labor market? Will 2020 be a reference year for a paradigm shift in education? In order to answer these questions, the present paper includes an extensive survey conducted in Romania among two samples of respondents, one made of 173 university professors and the other consisting of 732 students. The results presented in the paper indicate a high level of adaptation to the new teaching methods, among professors (84.4%) as well as among students (58.7%), with a high number of professors (51.4%) considering that online education can become an important factor in the development of society and in the enhancement of economic competitiveness (60.7%).