Covid-19 Pandemic and e-learning: The case of the School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

ABSTRACT: Aim: The present study aims to investigate the School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Greece, undergraduate students’ views on e-learning experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: Empirical survey was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire which consisted of demographic characteristics and close-ended structured items on e-learning. The results of the survey were processed using MICROSOFT EXCEL IBM SPSS STATISTICS 24 software. Results: The majority of students (69.1%) reported a rather negative evaluation of e-learning, while the 51.8% of students reported positive ones. Conclusion: In the present study, the students attributed more negative than positive features to e-learning during the pandemic, confirming in the most convincing way that the health hazards of the pandemic had a distinctive societal impact and caused turbulence in Education as well, leading to student discontent. On this basis, the positive points and challenges of e-learning are highlighted, and subsequently strategies for educational preparation are proposed, to the benefit of knowledge and progress of society