Covid-19 and Pedagogical Transition from Offline to Online Learning: A Phenomenological Study of Undergraduate Students in Kashmir

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic ushered a radical shift in educational institutions across the world by making online education indispensable and a viable alternative to traditional education. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of undergraduate students about pedagogical transition from offline to online learning amid Covid-19 pandemic in Kashmir. Purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques were used in conjunction for the selection of participants in this study. A semi-structured interview schedule was prepared for data collection. The results demonstrated that undergraduate students’ reluctance with online education due to the absence of interaction, paucity of motivation, mismanagement of timing, indiscipline, lack of proper understanding, little attention, and copying during exams. This study further revealed that students were used to be more active, disciplined, interactive, and interested during offline classes’ which was missing during online classes. Moreover, the findings unfolded that students suffered a lot due to the prolonged blockage of the internet due to political instability when the internet was the main source of online education amid Covid-19.