GRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN ONLINE MASTER’S PROGRAMS IN CRISIS SITUATIONS

Abstract: Purpose: The overall purpose of this qualitative analysis study was to discover how pedagogical, social, and administrative experiences affected graduate student satisfaction, as related to their online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2022. The main instrument used to examine these data was an online survey. Theory: This survey study is based on of Delgaty’s theory of Transactional Distance, which states that learning success depends on an interaction between pedagogical program structure; opportunities for interactions and dialogue between instructors and learners; and the degree of autonomy possessed by learners Method: A sample of 14 graduate students, studying Teacher Education, IT and Learning, and Educational Research, responded to a survey, which focused on student academic, administrative, and social experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2022. Results: Eighty-six percent of the sample took between 80% and 100% of their program classes online, 57% of subjects were international students, and subjects ranged in age from 21 to 39+. Strong survey response themes included problems with instructor access, connectivity issues, a feeling of isolation, puzzling course technologies, a lack of personal contact, and inconsistent and confusing course architecture. The small size and self-selected nature of the sample reduced the generalizability of the results, nevertheless, the study contributed to the growing body of possible avenues of improvement for university online and blended learning programs.