Opinions of graduate students about distance education in the period of Covid-19 pandemic: Distance education in the period of Covid-19 pandemic

Graduate Schools provide formal education. Their functions for providing students with scientific research methods, technics and procedures are of great importance for the scientific developments and discoveries globally. However, because of the COVID-19 virus emerged from the Republic of China in 2019, schools and universities across the world had to switch their educational practices to distance education. Likewise, Graduate Schools switched to distance education in practice. The advancement of technology gives the opportunity to continue education by distance education method during the pandemic period. In the research, it was aimed to analyze the results in detail by obtaining the opinions of the students about the implementations of distance education (their efficiency, application). The study adopted general survey model based on qualitative data. The participants were composed of 15 graduate students, and they were selected via convenience sampling model. The data were collected using a semi-structured Google interview form, and analyzed via coding model of the qualitative data analysis. The results showed that students faced internet access problems, they had difficulties understanding the system offered by their university. Some of the courses were offered synchronously but many others asynchronously. In the study it was recommended that necessary infrastructure should be set up and update should constantly be conducted for any possible similar pandemics in the future