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Factors determining satisfaction with e-learning during the pandemic in the opinion of Polish and Spanish students: analysis of differences and similarities

Renata Marciniak, Grażyna Rembielak

Abstract

E-learning has become a challenge for many universities worldwide, which during the pandemic had to switch overnight from offline to online learning and meet the expectations of students for whom this form of education was often alien. The aim of the paper is to present how students from two different countries, Spain and Poland, perceived e-learning during the pandemic, what factors, in their opinion, influenced their satisfaction with this form of education, which of them decreased it; and what are the similarities and differences in their opinion. In order to get to know their opinions, an online survey was conducted with students at the University of Manresa (Spain), and telephone interviews with students of the Warsaw University of Technology Business School. A comparative analysis of the obtained results was then performed to determine the similarities and differences in the satisfaction with e-learning between the Spanish and Polish students. The study shows that the main factors satisfying both groups of students are the possibility to use digital didactic materials, the quality of e-learning platforms, the organisation of e-learning, and the support provided by universities and lecturers. The most significant differences were visible in the perception of online classes, the formula for completing the course, and the didactic activities for students. The research results lead to the conclusion that despite the cultural differences and different teaching systems, the factors satisfying students with e-learning in the two countries were in fact quite similar.

Keywords: e-learning, e-learning satisfaction, online education, quality of education, higher education

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AUTHORS

Renata Marciniak

The author holds a Ph.D. in Education from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), as well as a Ph.D. in Economics and Management from the University of Economics in Cracow (Poland). She is a professor accredited by The National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education of Spain (ANECA) and by Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU Catalunya). She is also a professor at the Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya, Campus Manresa, Barcelona and at the Euncet University Business School in Terrassa (Spain). She is the author of several books about management and e-learning, and she has published a number of articles in high-impact journals (including JCR - Journal Citation Reports) about the understanding of the quality of digital learning. She is also the co-author of Polish Standards for Online Learning Services. She participated as a keynote speaker in several international congresses and conferences and several international research projects related to digital learning, and is a member of scientific international associations and organisations. Her research interests include management in digital education, e-learning standards, and the quality of digital higher education.

Grażyna Rembielak

The author is a Full-time Professor in Marketing at Warsaw University of Technology Business School and the Director of the Quality and Development Department, EMBA and MBA Programmes Director, and Total Design Management Programme Director at Warsaw University of Technology Business School. She obtained a Doctorate in Economics from Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW. Her professional experience lies in the area of Marketing and Management and International Business, and she has extensive experience in University Programmes design and development, management, educational quality assurance, and improvement. She also boasts experience in leading and taking part in accreditation teams for national and global accreditations, and an internal system of quality assurance and development. She is also an active researcher taking part in internal and external (national and international) research bids, which is reflected in several publications and conference participation in highly ranked international conferences in European countries, as well as in the USA, mainly in the field of Marketing, including Services Marketing in public and non-public Higher Education institutions, quality systems in Higher Education; Consumer Behaviour: consumer expectations, perceptions, motivations, and satisfaction in the case of global Higher Education, as well as developing and maintaining the high quality of programmes taught.

About the article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15219/em96.1577

The article is in the printed version on pages 14-24.

pdf read the article (English)

How to cite

Marciniak, R., & Rembielak, G. (2022). Factors determining satisfaction with e-learning during the pandemic in the opinion of Polish and Spanish students: analysis of differences and similarities. e-mentor, 4(96), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.15219/em96.1577