LSU, KTU AND VMU first and second graduate students attitudes towards distance studies

There is no student’s survey on distance learning, about distance learning program quite intensively introduced and promoted in LSU. The main question: Are Bachelor and Master (Undergraduate and graduate) students satisfied with the LSU distance learning system, teaching technology and study material provided in this environment? Hypothesis: Bachelor and Master student are satisfied with in LSU distance learning system, teaching technology, but on condition that study material provided in this environment should be improved. Research object: Bachelor and Master students’ approach to distance learning. The aim of the research: to evaluate LSU, KTU and VMU Bachelor and Master students’ approach to distance learning program. Objectives: 1. To investigate the students' attitude to e-learning material content and presentation suitability. 2. Determine whether the learning material is relevant to students, whether they rely on it, whether this material helps focusing on the subject and whether students meet learning outcomes when using e-learning environment and learning materials. 3. To reveal students’ attitude towards the acquired competences, during the studying remotely and in traditional way; 4. Compare different universities of social sciences students’ attitudes to e-learning. Results and main findings. 1. Bachelor and Master (Undergraduate and graduate) students evaluated e-learning curses contents and the relevance of their presentation as well or very well, regardless of level of their employment in working activity alongside the study. Such attitude is mostly shared by KTU students, less shared by VMU and barely shared by LSU students. Differences of attitudes distributions were significant.; 2. A half of LSU, VMU and KTU students shares the attitude that the learning material presented in e-learning system was relevant, but only one-third of students indicated that the material was well-selected and presented and the students trust him, and that the material meets their expectations and it helps to maintain focus and attention to the topic being studied and it was useful to achieve the desired learning outcomes. This attitude was more common to the KTU students. 3. Students much more prefer face-to-face lectures than self-study in e-learning environments, irrespective of the level of employment in work activity or the study level (undergraduate or graduate studies). The blended mode of learning is the most acceptable way of learning for more than half students. Student attitudes distinguished significantly in evaluating competencies acquired only by the distance learning or studying in the traditional way. Most of the students, engaged in work activity, pointed out that by using e-learning systems and by using traditional methods they achieved equal competence, but among those, who are engages only in studies, only less than one tenth shares this point of view. 4. Students of social sciences programs of three universities think that the studying in elearning environment is more complicated than applying traditional methods. Their attitudes differ significantly (p