Author(s): Randa Diab-Bahman, Abrar Al-Enzi
During the Corona-19 pandemic, much of the conventional world has changed – especially the way students learn. Students globally experienced an abrupt and quick transition into e-learning involuntarily across all age groups. As lockdown measures were put in place, it was essential to investigate the impact of the abrupt changes on students, especially on a personal level, and understand how students perceived the way their institutes adjusted to the changes. In this paper, the sentiments of over 318 students were investigated from universities in Kuwait that are currently experimenting with Virtual Learning Environments as a medium of study for the first time. A questionnaire was developed and validated to examine the sentiments of the students. The theoretical framework of instrument development includes elements of previous instruments including Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) and the Online Learning Environment Survey (OLES). It was found that there are indeed social and emotional implications when comparing the switch to e-learning under stressful conditions in comparison to the conventional classroom setting. However, most students reported being satisfied with the efforts put forth by their academic institutes.