Online Learning as a Necessary Measure During a Pandemic and as an Opportunity to Increase the Engineering Education Efficiency

Abstract

This research aim was to analyze problems, which educational systems are facing in the global upheaval era, statement of tasks, which must be solved, as well as search for solutions. The engineering education system has been improved in recent years through the use of new features, which are provided by e-learning software. Future engineers will require such skills as creative thinking, ability to make informed, effective decisions, as well as social responsibility and eco-thinking. The research was carried out on the tools used to organize online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in several universities. It gave a possibility to compare the effectiveness of using different virtual environments to organize the training of different profiles’ engineers, as well as to analyze the educational content and its difference from that used in traditional classroom teaching. To make a correct assessment, evaluation criteria were identified, which can be formalized, and also motivational characteristics were classified, which can be influenced on the quality improvement. For a case study, different student’s groups were selected to compare them involvement in the process with traditional and online training forms as well as their performance. Additionally, was done an analysis how a training form impacts on their projects quality.