Introduction

The pandemic has disrupted education systems around the world, with many schools and
universities forced to close or shift to online learning. This has resulted in significant
challenges for students, teachers, and parents. Online learning has posed many
difficulties and challenges for both schools and students, the sudden change in learning
methods and teaching methods leading to difficulty in accessing, the need for electronic
devices, and internet connection, etc. However, It has created new opportunities for
students to access education remotely, regardless of their location.

Therefore, the main objective of this study was to assess impacts of Covid 19 on
education of DAV’s students and propose solutions to build a better education system
after the pandemic. Specifically, it investigates how and to what extent the pandemic
influences learning methods. Moreover, the study also shows the student's assessment,
the student's satisfaction of DAV for online learning and compares the learning results of
online learning and face-to-face learning. This study can provide information for
universities to promote the improvement of online learning for students at the Diplomatic
Academy of Vietnam in the future, which ultimately could lead to students’ academic
better outcomes and achievements.

Literature review

Term definition:

Online learning is a type of instruction where students are taught in a completely virtual
setting. Online learning (also known as e-learning), which was first used for distance
learning in the 1990s when the internet was first developed, is most common in higher
education. It enables students from various geographic locations to interact with
academic institutions and other students online and learn flexibly and at their own pace
while pursuing a degree or certificate.

Literature review:

In “Education Crisis, Workforce Preparedness, and COVID- 19: Reflections and

Recommendations” By Raghu KRishnamooRthy* and Keith Keating, they highlight the
challenges faced by educational institutions in adapting to the new learning environment.
The authors provide recommendations for addressing these challenges, including
investing in technology infrastructure, increasing access to online learning resources, and
promoting collaboration between educational institutions and industry. They also
emphasize the need for greater emphasis on soft skills development, such as
communication, problem-solving, and adaptability, to prepare students for the changing
demands of the workforce.

1
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Also considering online learning, “Online learning during COVID-19 produced

equivalent or better student course performance as compared with pre-pandemic” by
Zheng, M., Bender, D. A., & Lyon, C found that online learning during the pandemic
produced equivalent or better student course performance compared to pre-pandemic
performance. It may be due to increased student engagement with online learning
materials and greater flexibility in scheduling and pacing of coursework. However, the
authors also identify challenges associated with online learning during the pandemic,
including limited access to technology and internet connectivity, as well as increased
stress and anxiety among students.

Methodology

Participants

Our survey has been executed with the participation of 61 third-year English-major
students who come from class TA47A1 and TA47A2 at the Diplomatic Academy of
Vietnam. These students have gone through online learning during the pandemic, so they
have the most practical experiences.

Questionnaire

The purpose of the questionnaire, which had a total of 6 items, was to gather data from
several DAV students about the impact of the pandemic on their education and their
practical online learning experiences.

How research is conducted:

We have made a variety of survey questions with a Google Form link, each of which
consists of from two to five options as the answers. It is mandatory for our survey
participants to answer all of the given questions. The final results from respondents have
been converted into the number or the percentage so that we can analyze as well as
compare our findings.

Results
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According to our survey result, from level 1 to 5, the majority of students claim that
Covid 19 affects their generation at level 4, accounting for 52.5%. Followed by the
percentage of students rated severity at 5 and 3, respectively 21.3% and 23%.

In terms of education, the number of students who think impacts of the pandemic at
"mostly" level accounts for the largest number, the level of "moderate" ranks second and
the last two levels are "severely" and "slightly" respectively". No students voted for "no
effects" indicating that the pandemic has in any way had an impact on education.
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Th
e survey found that, "adaptability and flexibility" was the skill that students gained the
most during the pandemic, accounting for 75.4%. This is followed by "effective remote
communication" with a significantly lower percentage, at 49.2%. At third place are "time
management, discipline and accountability" and "resilience and patience", together at
31.1%. “Emotional intelligence” ranks last, at 23%.

Based on the data, the difference between the percentage of students who choose between
learning online and offline is sharply different. The percentage of students who prefer
online learning accounted for 68.9%, more than double the number of students who voted
for online learning.
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Research shows that the proportion of the students whose learning results does not
change accounts for the highest, at 44,3%. 29.5% said that their online learning results
are worse when studying offline while 26.2% think that they show better results when
learning online.

Discussion

Summary

This study revealed that DAV students generally have an unfavorable attitude towards
online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the two mentioned studies, covid 19
has had a major impact on the learning patterns of DAV students. Similar to the research
results of Raghu KRishnamooRthy* and Keith Keating, DAV students think that they
face a lot of challenges in education due to the impact of Covid. However, thanks to that,
some skills of DAV’s students are enhanced and students have gained skills that are very
important for both study and work.

On the other hand, in terms of satisfaction and learning outcomes of DAV students in this
survey compared to Meixun Zheng's study above, the results are completely opposite.
During the COVID-19 epidemic, dentistry students generally had positive opinions
regarding online learning, and their perceived engagement with instructors and other
students was a predictor of their willingness to take an online course. However, the
number of DAV students who prefer face-to-face learning is more than double the
number of students who want to study online. Students' learning results when studying
online are slightly lower than in face-to-face learning. It shows that the majority of DAV
students are not satisfied with online learning.

Limitation

There are various shortcomings in our study that should be highlighted. First of all, the
study is conducted on a relatively small scale due to time limits. In particular, the
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majority of samples are from the English Faculty of DAV while Online learning is
widely implemented around the world. Secondly, we do not survey students' self-study
ability, as well as the facilities for online learning that students own. Thus, the limitation
here is the lack of consensus in the background of the participants.

Implication

The results of our study could contribute significantly to the literature on online learning
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the survey are also the basis to review the
limitations in online teaching that leads to the unsatisfactory experience of students. It
can also inform the design, adaptation of teaching methods and approaches to future e-
learning as we re-imagine the future of e-learning to bring the best results and approach
for students and lecturers.

References

1. Zheng, M., Bender, D. A., & Lyon, C. Online learning during COVID-19

produced equivalent or better student course performance as compared with pre-

pandemic: empirical evidence from a school-wide comparative study, 2021. BMC

Medical Education, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02909-z

2. Raghu KRishnamooRthy* and Keith Keating. Education Crisis, Workforce

Preparedness, and COVID- 19: Reflections and Recommendations, 2021

3. Top Hat. (2020, October 2). Online Learning Definition and Meaning | Top Hat.

https://tophat.com/glossary/o/online-learning/