A comparison of online and face-to-face teaching of economically oriented master's degree university studies

ABSTRACT

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of distance learning of the subject Operational Research in terms of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of teaching and the success of this course, to find out the satisfaction of students with the online learning, and the impact on the performance.Design/methodology/approachGrades of students from the subject were collected from the Faculty of Business and Economics of Mendel University in Brno between 2009 and 2021. A questionnaire concerning the views of students on online teaching of the subject and its comparison with face-to-face teaching was conducted, and the data obtained from 94 respondents were statistically processed by cluster analysis and the K-means method.FindingsA comparison of the results of examinations from the years taught in classical face-to-face form and from the period when teaching took place only online showed no significant effect on the final grades of the students. The results show that the students were basically divided into two-halves one-half that preferred online teaching and the other that supported a more face-to-face form of teaching. Most of the students highly appreciated the tutorial videos provided because of the possibility of repeated viewing.Originality/valueThe paper shows that online teaching may be a suitable replacement for standard teaching. The paper answers the question whether some online elements can be integrated in the standard form of teaching.