Determinants of online student academic achievement during the pandemic

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the determining factors in the academic achievement of online students during the pandemic Method: It is a qualitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional study, the type of research is descriptive and exploratory. The population was a university institution of higher education, which offers two educational modalities, face-to-face and distance, the random sampling method was used, including in the sample students who took at least one learning unit in the educational platforms, obtaining a response of 1028 students from different semesters and learning units. The quality of teaching, didactic material, motivation, commitment to learning, support and communication by teachers and the challenges of the learning environment are determining factors in the academic achievement of online students during the pandemic. Results: A survey was conducted and descriptive statistics were used to obtain students' perceptions, and qualitative data obtained from interviews were analyzed through content analysis. It was highlighted that 68% of them share their computation and sometimes 46% experience difficulties, and although 52% mention being in the right conditions, 53% do not wish to remain online. Conclusions: It is important to design educational strategies that are appropriate for each group of students and provide the necessary support to those who are experiencing difficulties. It is necessary to take into account the opinions of students and work together to improve the quality of online education and offer suitable options for all.