The Impact of New Forms of Online Teaching During COVID-19 On Students’ Behavioral Changes

The transition from physical education to online education has been a real challenge for all the stakeholders that are involved in the educational system, bringing with it both opportunities and threats regarding the online teaching and learning experience. The topic of online education during the COVID-19 pandemic has been approached so far in many studies and research papers whose main objective was to identify the negative effects on the education system and the mental health of students. The objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of new forms of online teaching on students’ behavioral changes. To determine the behavioral changes of students after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors conducted quantitative research. The data used in this research were collected through a questionnaire, which was distributed online to students studying at a university in Bucharest (Romania). This paper highlights the impact that online classes have on students’ physical and mental health problems. The results of this study show that students feel that their academic performance has changed in a less favorable direction, failing to adapt so easily to this online teaching system. The authors present how students perceive the usefulness of the methodology used by teachers, as well as their preferred study activities. This paper also describes the problems related to access to an adequate level of education during the pandemic context, the most vulnerable being students from rural areas, with very low incomes.