STUDENT EXPERIENCE OF PERCEIVED CONNECTEDNESS IN ONLINE DESIGN EDUCATION
Year: 2021
Editor: Grierson, Hilary; Bohemia, Erik; Buck, Lyndon
Author: Gogu, Christy Vivek; Kumar, Jyoti
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
Section: Meeting 21st Century Challenges in Further and Higher Education
DOI number: 10.35199/EPDE.2021.26
ISBN: 978-1-912254-14-9
Abstract
Online courses have been on the rise in the last few decades and recently with the pandemic across the world, many traditional design schools have transitioned to the virtual realm to continue the education seamlessly. This study focuses on understanding the perspective of students of five design schools in India about their experience with online courses and their perceived social connectedness. This paper reports findings from a combination of quantitative and qualitative study, wherein sixty three students from five design schools across India responded anonymously to the questionnaire. This study assesses the level of social connectedness that students perceive with their instructors and fellow students in online classes. In this paper, we also discuss some of the reasons for this perception, as articulated by the participants. While the given student populace may seem adept in online communication and exchange of information, it is interesting to observe their feedback on online classes and how it affects their overall experience of education for the design students. In addition, it submits some of the features of traditional face-to-face classrooms that students miss the most in an online setting.
Keywords: Online design teaching, connectedness, design education, virtual learning