Comparative evaluation of the digital study environment

The last year's pandemic has posed a huge challenge to higher education: distance learning has become an alternative mode that had to be accepted. The traditional study environment was replaced by digital. In the conditions of changing social interaction, the possibilities of the digital study environment have been formed in the study process. The aim of the study was to find out the opinions of resident and non-resident students about the advantages and disadvantages of digital studies in the context of the pandemic. The study was conducted in the end of 2020. It included medical students – 71 resident (2nd academic year) and 39 non-resident (1st academic year). The students were asked to provide an open answer to what the advantages and disadvantages of the digital study environment are. Responses were submitted anonymously. A quantitative content analysis was used to process the data with NVivo 12. Following the coding and code merging procedure, the comparative views of the two student groups on digital learning were as follows: advantages (resident students) – maintaining the same study quality (39%), time saving for studies (31%), a freer atmosphere in the study environment (17%); (non-resident students) – any convenient place for studying (37%), time saving for studies (20%), self-directed learning (20%); disadvantages (resident students) – communication difficulties (30%), lack of social contact (24%), internet connection problems (22%),, difficulty concentrating (9%); (non-resident students) – internet connection problems (30%), lack of social contact (17%), communication difficulties (13%). In the digital study environment, maintaining the study quality is more important for resident students, but non-resident students value study opportunities from anywhere. In turn, communication difficulties are seen more as a shortcoming by resident students, but technical problems - more by non-resident students. The views on time saving and limited social contact prevailed approximately equally in both groups.