Going online: Student perspectives in a problem-based learning environment during the pandemic

The purpose of this article is to present the key findings from a survey performed across the faculties at Aalborg University (AAU) on students’ transition to online education, during the Danish quarantine in spring 2020. We highlight important takeaways that are deemed relevant to the ongoing digital transition process at AAU and the evaluation thereof, discuss students’ experiences in the locally anchored settings and compare findings in a broader context. For our analysis, we utilize NLP transformers and topic modelling to present an overview of themes discussed by the students. Further, we perform bibliometric analyses to gain insights on similar studies published during COVID-19. The study highlights central themes, challenges, and opportunities from a student perspective, and evaluates these within the scope of the PBL model. The study highlights the complex structure of student bodies, showing diverse preferences and effects of moving education online. Social aspects of learning suffered for most, posing challenges for both teaching and group work. Students generally reported positively on the use of recorded lectures, providing opportunities for future blended/flipped learning environments. We discuss the implications for creating hybrid/blended approaches that integrate online and physical learning spaces.