Higher education in the post-pandemic: student perceptions at a Mexican university

Abstract

In March 2020, face-to-face classes in Mexico were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From that moment on, virtuality was the means that allowed the continuation of teaching and learning activities in higher education. Today, almost a year and a half after the beginning of this scheme of work, the educational authorities are preparing for the return to face-to-face teaching. However, it is not yet known when the necessary conditions will exist for this to fully occur. This article addresses various possible scenarios in the post-confinement era, as well as the acceptance that these would have in the university student community. Its objectives were to characterize student perceptions of classes after COVID-19 lockdown and to compare them according to educational program, academic period, and employment status. The research design was quantitative cross-sectional, non-experimental, exploratory-descriptive in scope. A total of 1395 students from five university programs (Administration, International Trade, Public Accountant, Law, Information Technology) participated and answered an online questionnaire. They were asked about their willingness to continue taking online or hybrid classes in different scenarios, as well as about the continued use of collaborative tools and the need to promote technological and information security skills, given the digital nature of remote education. Data analysis was performed with the SPSS package. Descriptive values were obtained and nonparametric statistical tests of differences between groups were performed. The results show that students value positively the power to decide to take a subject online or face-to-face. In either mode of post-pandemic work, students would agree to continue using MSTEAMS. On the other hand, the recording of sessions was well valued, as well as the possibility of reducing the cost of enrollment if the education were hybrid or online. Also, students would be willing to take their theoretical courses online. It was found that law students are less in agreement about continuing to take their theoretical subjects online and administration students are more in agreement. Also, administration students were more in agreement to continue using MSTEAMS. On the other hand, students in the last semesters are more in agreement to continue with online classes and resources compared to students in the first semesters. In the analysis by employment status, no differences were found. This paper provides an overview of the acceptability of various hypothetical post-pandemic scenarios and allows reflection on the learnings obtained with online education in the COVID-19 times and how these could enhance academic activities after confinement.