Students’ Voices on Online Learning: Constraints, Dissatisfactions, and Expectations

Abstract

There is no longer an emergency situation that requires full online learning in education, as COVID-19 has subsided. However, now that digital learning has become firmly established, its integration seems inevitable. Therefore, students’ feedback on their experiences with full virtual learning is crucial. It allows us to anticipate and create a well-prepared post-pandemic learning environment that integrates online classrooms effectively. The investigation of students’ experiences during the shift to online learning induced by the pandemic remains relatively scarce in West Kalimantan, a province in Indonesia. This research aims to fill this knowledge gap. The study employed a descriptive quantitative method to collect the participants’ experiences during online learning, aiming to describe the limitations, discontent, and expectations associated with online education. The survey collected responses from 769 undergraduate students at the university under study. The findings suggest that, despite the significant challenges of online learning, such as stable Internet connections and data quotas, Indonesian students consider themselves digitally literate and anticipate continuing to engage in online learning to supplement the traditional face-to-face classrooms they strongly desire. The lack of interviews in this study warrants further investigation to improve the findings.