Examination of university students’ opinions on online education: The case of a private foundation university in Türkiye

Abstract

This qualitative case study examined university students’ perceptions and experiences of online education during the Covid-19 pandemic across motivation, self-efficacy, assessment, technological infrastructure, readiness, and lifelong learning, and compared these views with course evaluation data. Semi-structured interviews with 26 undergraduate and graduate students at a foundation university in Istanbul were triangulated with content analysis of 110 course evaluation surveys using thematic content analysis. Students valued flexibility, time efficiency, and access to recorded materials, but reported social isolation, reduced motivation, and technical problems as major drawbacks. Online learning supported digital literacy and presentation skills, yet practical and highly interactive courses were seen as less effective. Assessment fairness and exam disruptions were recurring concerns. Most participants preferred face-to-face or hybrid models, viewing hybrid as the best balance of flexibility and engagement. Limited to one institution and self-reports, the study recommends stronger infrastructure, digital equity, online pedagogy training, interactive design, fair formative assessment, and communitybuilding, contributing nuanced evidence from Turkish foundation universities.