News
Trending

AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC 78% OF SAUDI STUDENTS WOULD LIKE THEIR UNIVERSITY COURSE TO INCORPORATE MORE ONLINE LEARNING – JOINT-HIGHEST OF ANY COUNTRY POLLED IN NEW GLOBAL SURVEY

Chegg.org, the nonprofit arm of education technology company Chegg, today launches the Global Student Survey – the most comprehensive up-to-date survey of the lives, hopes and fears of undergraduate students across 21 countries in the age of COVID and beyond

Follow Asdaf News on

 

Riyadh –

After the COVID-19 pandemic, 78% of Saudi students would like their university course to incorporate more online learning, joint-highest of any country surveyed alongside China (77%).

These findings are among those published today by Chegg.org, the nonprofit arm of education technology company Chegg. They are based on in-depth opinion polling by Yonder (formerly known as Populus) of nearly 17,000 undergraduate students aged 18-21 years across 21 countries around the world, including 503 students in Saudi Arabia. The Chegg.org Global Student Survey is the most comprehensive up-to-date survey of the lives, hopes and fears of undergraduate students throughout the world in the age of COVID and beyond.

Nearly nine in 10 (89%) Saudi students say their university provided online learning resources when it stopped in person teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of these, 82% rated their university’s online learning provision as excellent or good – more than any other country surveyed.

Nearly nine in 10 (89%) Saudi students say their university provided online learning resources when it stopped in person teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of these, 82% rated their university’s online learning provision as excellent or good – more than any other country surveyed.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of Saudi students whose university stopped in-person teaching during the pandemic say they learned as much if not more from online learning during lockdown as they would have in face-to face classes, more than any other country surveyed.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Saudi students say their teachers / professors know how to teach effectively online, the second highest of all the countries polled after China (79%). In Japan, only 31% of students say their teachers / professors know how to teach effectively online, the lowest of any country polled alongside South Korea (33%).

The survey’s global findings show Saudi students agree with their peers across all 21 countries when it comes to how higher education should embrace online learning. Around two-thirds (65%) of students across all the surveyed countries say they would rather their university offered the choice of more online learning if it meant paying lower tuition fees. In all of the 21 countries surveyed, significantly more students would rather their university offered the choice of more online learning if it meant lower fees than students who do not want the choice.

The survey also reveals that over seven in 10 (71%) Saudi students say they or their parents have paid for online educational platforms/ tools/ apps to aid their university tuition that were not provided by their college university – the highest of any country surveyed.

Meanwhile, almost eight in 10 (79%) Saudi students say they feel hopeful about their finances in the future, ranked third highest in the poll after China and Kenya (ranked joint second with 84%) and India (80%). By comparison, in Japan only 31% of students feel hopeful, the lowest of any country surveyed.

Nearly eight in 10 (78%) Saudi students say all things considered they feel happy, the third highest of all the countries polled after China (90%) and Indonesia (84%). By comparison, less than half (49%) of Turkish students say they feel happy.

 

Dan Rosensweig, President and CEO of Chegg, said:

“One thing that unites students around the globe is that they have experienced first-hand the greatest disruption to education the world has ever known. This survey shows the COVID pandemic has laid bare for students that the higher education model needs to be reimagined, shorter, on-demand, personalized and provide scalable support. Technology and online learning are a permanent part of modern education and should dramatically reduce the cost of learning and make it more skills based.

“When approximately two-thirds of students across the countries surveyed say they would like their university to offer the choice of more online learning if it means paying lower tuition fees, and when over half of students say they would prefer their university course to be shorter, if it was more affordable, we know something has to change.” 

Lila Thomas, Chegg’s Director of Social Impact and Head of Chegg.org, said:

“Across the world, students have told us loud and clear that the biggest issues facing their generation are access to good quality jobs and growing inequality. Addressing these challenges is more important than ever in the wake of the economic devastation wrought by COVID, and education is the key.”

OTHER KEY FINDINGS – SAUDI ARABIA

  1. 84% of Saudi students think the country is a good place to live, the fifth highest of all the countries surveyed after China (93%), Australia and Canada (both 90%), and Germany (88%). By contrast, only 16% of Argentinian students think their country is a good place to live, the lowest in the survey.
  2. Over a three-quarters (77%) of Saudi students think the country is a better place to live in than it was five years ago, the second highest of any country polled after China (92%). By comparison, only 8% of Argentinian students think their country is a better place to live, the lowest of any country polled.
  3. Access to quality jobs is the biggest issue Saudi students feel is facing their generation, chosen by 25% of respondents. The second biggest issue is healthcare provision, chosen by 18%. The third biggest issue is access to quality housing (14%).
  4. Jobs are the main motivation for Saudi students going to university with 20% saying they went to broaden their job prospects and 17% saying the specific career they want requires a degree. By comparison, 9% say passion for their subject was their main motivation.
  5. Over two-thirds (67%) of Saudi students say if it was cheaper, they would prefer their university degree take a shorter amount of time to complete, the seventh highest of the 21 countries surveyed after Kenya (86%), Indonesia (80%), Malaysia (79%), the US (77%), China (71%), Australia (69%).
  6. Six in 10 (60%) students have struggled with their living costs in the last year. 34% have struggled with food, 30% with rent / mortgage, 32% with utilities and 29% with medical bills.
  7. 76% of Saudi students feel optimistic, the second highest of any country surveyed after China (82%).

Almost three-quarters (73%) of Saudi students whose university stopped in-person teaching during the pandemic say they learned as much if not more from online learning during lockdown as they would have in face-to face classes, more than any other country surveyed.

KEY FINDINGS – INTERNATIONAL

  1. Around two-thirds (65%) of students across all the surveyed countries say they would rather their university offered the choice of more online learning if it meant paying lower tuition fees. In all of the 21 countries surveyed, more students would rather their university offered the choice of more online learning if it meant lower fees than students who do not want the choice.
  2. Over half (54%) of students across all the surveyed countries say if it was cheaper, they would prefer their university degree take a shorter amount of time to complete.
  3. After the COVID-19 pandemic, 48% of students across all 21 countries surveyed would like their university course to incorporate more online learning, versus only 34% who would not. In 14 out of the 21 countries surveyed, there are more students who want their university course to incorporate more online learning post-pandemic than those who do not.
  4. Over half (56%) of students across all 21 surveyed countries say their mental health has suffered during the period of COVID-19. Of these, 3% have attempted to end their own life, 15% have contemplated ending their life, 8% have self-harmed, 17% have sought help for their mental health and 81% say their stress and anxiety have increased.
  5. A third (33%) of all students surveyed do not believe they live in an open and free society that supports diversity, the less fortunate, and gives everyone equal opportunities.
  6. The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and access to good quality jobs, are the two biggest issues students feel are facing their generation, chosen by 27% and 25% of respondents respectively across the 21 countries surveyed. This is followed by climate change (20%), ensuring every child gets an education (8%), war and conflict (7%), healthcare provision (7%), and access to good quality housing (6%). ​
  7. In all the Latin American countries polled – Brazil, Argentina and Mexico – more students thought their country was a worse place to live compared with five years ago than students who thought it was a better place to live. In most Asian countries, with the exception of South Korea, more students thought their country was a better place to live compared with five years ago than students who thought it was a worse place to live.
  8. 57% of students in Asian countries surveyed thought their country was a better place to live than five years ago compared with 26% in Latin American countries, 29% in European countries and 39% in North American countries surveyed. The three Latin American countries surveyed, alongside Russia, saw the lowest proportion of students saying their country was a good place to live.
  9. Students in emerging economies were more likely to feel hopeful about their finances in the future than students in developed economies, with China (84%), Kenya (84%) and India (80%) polling highest and Japan (31%), Italy (45%), South Korea (46%) and Spain (50%) polling lowest.
  10. Students in emerging economies are more confident they will own their own home before the age of 35 than students in developed economies, with Kenya (92%), Indonesia (86%), India (84%) and Brazil (78%) polling highest and Japan (31%) and South Korea (39%) polling lowest.
  11. Jobs are the main motivation for students going to university. Across all 21 countries polled, 21% of students say their main motivation was that the specific career they want requires a degree, while 19% say it was to broaden their job prospects. Another 19% say it was because they are passionate about their subject. Meanwhile, 14% say to increase their earning potential, 7% say they felt they were expected to go, 5% say to experience the social life of a student, 5% to network or meet contacts that might help them in the future, and 4% say there were few job opportunities available, so they chose to continue their studies.
  12. Over half (53%) of students across all countries surveyed have struggled with their living costs in the last year. 23% have struggled with their rent / mortgage, 23% with utility bills, 22% with food, and 16% with medical treatment / services.
  13. Over three in 10 (31%) students across the surveyed countries have a debt or loan related to their university studies. The proportion of students with debt tended to be considerably lower in continental European (11%) and Latin American countries (12%) surveyed compared with the Anglo-Saxon countries (61%).
  14. 35% of students who have a debt or loan related to their studies lose sleep over it while 21% say it makes them so anxious they have sought medical help and 38% say it makes them wish they’d made a different choice. Three in 10 (31%) think they will never pay their debt off.

15-Nearly four in 10 (39%) students polled say they or their parents have paid for online educational platforms/ tools/ apps to aid their university tuition that were not provided by their college university.​

Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button