Virtual education from the perspective of higher education students

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to understand the perception of higher education students about education assisted through Information and Communication Technologies. The work is framed within the qualitative approach under a hermeneutic phenomenological design. Participant observation and focus group techniques were used, 16 students were selected with their inclusion and exclusion selection criteria until data saturation was reached; then, they were subjected to segmentation and coding procedures. Among the main findings was that, despite the difficulties of connectivity and the absence of other technological resources, students maintain favourable attitudes towards educational processes in virtual environments and develop expectations for learning new technologies. It is concluded that the perceptions of the research subjects need to assess the geographical and technical conditions of the students before implementing virtual education solutions.