Preference For Virtual and Physical Classrooms Among Undergraduate Agriculture Students at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

This study examined the preference for virtual and physical classrooms among undergraduate agriculture students at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted and 334 students from the three Colleges of Agricultural Sciences were randomly selected for this study. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that 52.1% of the students were female, the mean age was 21.12±2.23 years. Platforms utilized by the majority of the students included Google Classroom (97.6%) and Google Meet (86.2%). It was also found that 64.4% of the students preferred virtual classrooms while 35.6% preferred physical classrooms, and that 62.0% had a positive perception of virtual classrooms. The most severe constraints to virtual learning included reduced interaction with lecturer (x=1.63) and erratic power supply (x=1.63). Results from Chi-square analyses revealed that students preference for the virtual classroom was significantly associated with their age (x2 = 8.874, p<0.05) and computer literacy level (x2 = 20.006, p<0.01). It was concluded that more Agriculture students in FUNAAB preferred virtual classrooms than physical classrooms. Among the recommendations the authors noted that University Management should ensure the provision of a constant power supply by making alternative power sources available within the Campus.