Exploring higher education students ’ attitudes toward e-learning after COVID-19

proliferation of technology and the heightened significance of e-learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the perspectives and attitudes of educational stakeholders toward educational technology. The objective of this research was to explore the attitudes of higher education students toward e-learning. Data collection was conducted via a questionnaire. The findings demonstrated that the key benefit of e-learning, as reported by a substantial majority (77.0%) of participants, is the convenience of studying from home. This is closely followed by the advantage of learning at one’s own pace, as 69.4% of respondents expressed. A considerable proportion (58.8%) highlighted the comfort factor associated with e-learning, along with the cost-saving aspect of reduced expenses on accommodation and transportation. Other advantages included the ability to access course materials remotely (57.6%) option to record meetings online (51.1%), regarding disadvantages of e-learning, the majority (59.4%) of respondents indicated that e-learning limits interaction with others, followed by social isolation (44.1%), lack of self-discipline (43.5%), internet problems (43.5%). The results showed that e-learning was perceived to be less effective compared to conventional face-to-face learning. Also, we showed that, in general, there is no significant relationship between socio-demographic variables and attitudes toward e-learning. Only a few significant relationships were found regarding demographic variables on attitudes. We made educational implications for the next studies on our results.


INTRODUCTION
In recent years, e-learning has become important for instruction.This growth can be attributed to changing pedagogical paradigms and the demand for flexible learning options.Using digital technologies to facilitate learning outside the traditional classroom, e-learning has become integral to today's educational systems.It allows for flexible scheduling and access to materials from anywhere.The adoption of e-learning has accelerated, especially in response to global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.After COVID-19, traditional education, once limited to physical classrooms and face-to-face interactions, is now being supplemented and sometimes replaced by online learning environments.E-learning can improve the quality of education by providing various learning resources and allowing for personalized learning experiences (Ratnawati & Idris, 2020).For example, e-learning expands the range of courses and programs available to students (Ozornina et al., 2022).Universities offer a wider variety of courses through online platforms, including those in niche or specialized areas, allowing students to pursue their academic interests, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic (Basu, 2022).In addition, e-learning platforms often include tools for collaboration and communication between students and instructors (Ozornina et al., 2022).This communication can foster community, enable peer-to-peer learning, and facilitate discussions in distance or online courses.E-learning helps students get comfortable with technology and prepares them for a workplace, where digital skills are in high demand (Akcil & Bastas, 2020).Furthermore, it can be more costeffective than traditional classroom training (Thapa et al., 2021) and reduces the expenses associated with commuting, housing, and physical textbooks.This affordability makes higher education more accessible to students (Abramova & Shishmolina, 2022).
Colleges and universities worldwide have invested heavily in online courses and digital resources to accommodate students with different needs and preferences during the pandemic (Vlasova et al., 2022).In this era of change in education, it is essential to understand students' attitudes toward e-learning.For example, students' attitudes toward e-learning can significantly impact their engagement, motivation, and, ultimately, their learning outcomes (Akcil & Bastas, 2020;Monib, 2023;Prakasha et al., 2022;Thapa et al., 2021;Uyar, 2023).E-learning is important by providing college students with flexible, accessible, and technology-enhanced learning experiences (Prevalla et al., 2022).As e-learning continues gaining momentum, educators, policymakers, and researchers must understand students' attitudes toward this evolving pedagogical approach and design their instruction programs according to e-learning strategies and curricula.Research has suggested that students' attitudes toward e-learning can vary widely and be influenced by several technological, pedagogical, and socio-cultural dimensions (Monib, 2023;Uyar, 2023).While these factors provide a foundation for understanding student attitudes toward e-learning, it is important to recognize that attitudes can be highly individualized and context-dependent (Prakasha et al., 2022).In addition, the rapid evolution of technology and educational practices requires ongoing research to keep pace with changing student attitudes (Akcil & Bastas, 2020).
Numerous studies have examined student attitudes toward e-learning.For instance, Kar et al. (2014) studied undergraduate students' attitudes toward e-learning in West Bengal.Their results revealed high attitudes towards e-learning and no significant differences regarding gender, field of study, and place of residence.Rhema and Miliszewska (2014) investigated the experiences and perceptions regarding e-learning of engineering students among Libyan university students.The findings revealed no significant difference in the degree of positive attitudes towards information and communication technology and e-learning between female and male students.Additionally, it was determined that geographical location, age, and academic year did not yield statistically significant results concerning attitudes toward e-learning.Alshaiekh and Singh (2018) investigated the factors influencing the e-learning of Saudi Arabian female undergraduate students.The attitudes of female college students towards e-learning were found to have a positive correlation with aspects such as utility, flexibility, interactivity, and college support.These factors were identified as major influencers of female students' attitudes towards e-learning.Ozaydin Ozkara and Ibili (2021) found that the preservice teachers' attitudes toward e-learning differed by learning style but not by age, gender, and subject area.Prakasha et al. (2022) studied university students' attitudes toward e-learning and found that females had more positive attitudes toward e-learning than males.Men showed an avoidant e-learning attitude.Also, the Contemporary Educational Technology, 2024 Contemporary Educational Technology, 16(1), ep488 3 / 14 results showed that socioeconomic status did not influence students' e-learning attitudes.Irwanto (2023) found that Indonesian higher education students' attitudes toward e-learning tended to be positive.
In a study conducted by Monib (2023), an examination was carried out to explore the perspectives held by English as a foreign language students regarding using e-learning.The study's findings indicated that elearning is widely regarded as a valuable tool in higher education.The participants preferred hybrid learning, which combined online and face-to-face training.The study's findings revealed a statistically significant correlation between gender and the perceived ease of use.Many male participants positively perceived elearning in the educational context, considering it user-friendly.Conversely, female participants held a contrasting viewpoint, expressing disagreement with this perception.Uyar (2023) investigated university students' attitudes toward e-learning.The results showed that students had high attitudes toward e-learning.Male students, students with prior e-learning experience, those with internet connection at home, individuals with personal computers, and students enrolled in technical courses exhibited more favorable attitudes towards e-learning in this study.As weaknesses of e-learning, students cited insufficient interaction between teachers and students, inequality of opportunity, and lack of knowledge among students and instructors.Students cited network connection failure, lack of equipment, and lack of internet access as problems with the e-learning process in terms of e-learning development.Malkawi et al. (2021) studied college students' satisfaction levels and attitudes toward e-learning during the pandemic.The findings indicated that students generally exhibit high satisfaction levels and positive attitudes towards eLearning and virtual education, but variations exist across different aspects.The findings indicate no statistically significant disparity in student gender, place of residence, college affiliation, and overall grade point average.Nevertheless, the findings indicate a statistically significant gap in student satisfaction and attitudes regarding e-learning.
The research above examined and identified higher education students' attitudes toward e-learning, but most of these studies were not conducted in a Russian context.In addition, much of this research was conducted during the pandemic.However, the number of research studies that studied higher education students' attitudes toward e-learning after the pandemic is very low.Therefore, this research aimed to explore students' attitudes toward e-learning and the effects of socio-demographic factors on these attitudes.By examining this specific and evolving topic area, our objective is to make a scholarly contribution toward a more comprehensive comprehension of university students' attitudes regarding e-learning.Additionally, we aimed to explore ways in which educational institutions can enhance their e-learning provisions to effectively cater to learners' diverse requirements and preferences in the era of digitalization.By modifying e-learning offerings to align with student preferences, educational institutions have the potential to enhance the overall learning experience and effectively perform digital learning initiatives.Based on the findings derived from this research, institutions may have the potential to enhance resource allocation efficiency by directing their attention toward technologies that align with the preferences and needs of higher education students.

METHOD Research Design
The current study utilized a quantitative research methodology.The current study utilized a descriptive research design to accomplish its purpose.

Participants
The participants were involved from two public research universities located in Russia.The participants were from Kazan Federal State University (KFU) and Kazan National Research Technological University (KNRTU).The overall number of participants in the study was 170 higher education students.

Data Collection Instrument
The research in question employed the data collection instrument developed by Thapa et al. (2021).They developed after conducting a comprehensive literature review.The survey instrument comprised four distinct sections.Section 1 encompassed socio-demographic data, encompassing age, college or university, academic year, electronic devices for e-learning, internet sources, and prior experience.The subsequent section encompassed the components of the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning.The authors used multiple choice questions, wherein participants were prompted to express their perceived advantages or disadvantages associated with this assessment format.The third component encompassed items about the efficacy of e-learning compared to conventional face-to-face instructional approaches.The participants were required to assess the effectiveness of e-learning compared to traditional learning by utilizing a Likert scale ranging from one (indicating strong effectiveness) to five (indicating strong ineffectiveness).The fourth section encompassed measures assessing students' attitudes towards e-learning.
The scale includes six domains: perceived usefulness (one to 18), intention to adopt e-learning (19 to 27), ease of e-learning (28 to 35), technical support (36 to 39), stressors of e-learning (40 to 42), and distant use of e-learning (43 to 46).Scores range from strongly disagree=1 to strongly agree=5.There are 46 items of which 26 are positive and 20 are negative.The total score ranges from 46 to 230, and the mean of the five-point Likert scale was used to evaluate the overall attitude.Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the Likert scale measuring perceived usefulness, intention to adapt, ease, technical support, e-learning stresses, and distant use of e-learning were reported as 0.90, 0.87, 0.90, 0.80, 0.80, and 0.82, respectively.The instrument underwent translation from Russian to English before being tested for readability by ten students.The obtained results showed that the instrument was readable for data collection.A few minor corrections were made to finalize the instrument based on the participants' feedback.

Data Collection
Data gathering was carried out using online platforms.The questionnaire was generated using the Google Forms platform and then shared with the participants by the instructors using a hyperlink.Data gathering occurred in May and June of 2023.The purpose and objectives of the research were clearly explained in the document.Participants agreeing to participate in the study were asked to complete the questionnaire.The consent form was structured such that individuals desiring to participate in the study were obligated to click on a "proceed" button, signifying their recognition of having examined and consented to the conditions delineated in the consent form.The study carefully maintained the principles of privacy and confidentiality regarding maintaining records.Data collection for this study was conducted by ethical guidelines, with written permission obtained from the universities.

Data Analysis
Collected data underwent a thorough review, coding, and organization to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency.Data was analyzed using statistical package for social science version 29.The received data was analyzed and interpreted using descriptive statistics, including frequency, median, mean, percentage, and standard deviation.Furthermore, inferential statistics were utilized in the analysis procedure.Chi-square test assessed the relationship between people's attitudes toward e-learning and particular socio-demographic characteristics.The overall attitude was evaluated by computing the mean score on a five-point Likert scale to determine whether it was positive or negative.Negative items were reversed before analyzing the data.

Socio-Demographic Results
Table 1 presents the socio-demographic information about the participants.Among the participants, a majority were identified as female, comprising 67.6% of the total sample, while the remaining 32.4% were identified as male.Most participants (36.5%) were individuals in their first year of study at the university.27.6% of the participants were enrolled in their second year of study.The proportion of students in their third year of study was 20.0%.The proportion of students in their fourth year of study was 11.8%.The proportion of students in their fifth year of study was 4.1%.Most participants (75.3%) were between 19 to 22 years old.The proportion of individuals aged 19 years in the sample was 26.5%.The vast majority of participants (91.8%) were found to be residing in urban regions.The study revealed that most participants (54.7%) utilized laptops as their primary device for e-learning.Additionally, many respondents relied on cell phones (30.6%) and computers (14.1%).A small fraction of individuals (0.6%) reported using tablets for their e-learning activities.Most participants (82.3%) were affiliated with KNRTU.Of them, 17.7% were from KFU.Most (75.3%) of the participants had already participated in e-learning before this pandemic.

Advantages & Disadvantages of E-Learning
Table 2 presents a comprehensive overview of the advantages and disadvantages of using e-learning.The primary advantage of e-learning, as indicated by a significant majority (77.0%) of participants, is the convenience of studying from home.This is closely followed by the advantage of learning at one's own pace, as 69.4% of respondents expressed.Additionally, a considerable proportion (58.8%) highlighted the comfort factor associated with e-learning, along with the cost-saving aspect of reduced expenses on accommodation and transportation.Other notable advantages mentioned include the ability to access course materials remotely (57.6%), the option to record meetings online (51.1%), and the interactive style of online classes (37.0%).Regarding the disadvantages of elearning, the majority (59.4%) of respondents indicated that e-learning limits interaction with others, followed by social isolation (44.1%), lack of self-discipline (43.5%),Internet problems (43.5%),poor interaction with facilitators (8.2%), and poor learning conditions at home (7.0%).
Table 3 presents a comparative analysis of traditional learning and e-learning.The findings indicate a significant prevalence of a neutral attitude among the participants.Moreover, e-learning was found to be less efficacious than traditional face-to-face instruction.Apart from these results, 27.7% of the participants stated that e-learning is better than others for learning social competencies.40.6% felt that e-learning made participants less active than face-to-face learning.

Perceived Usefulness
Table 4 presents the participants' subjective evaluation of the usefulness of e-learning.A significant proportion of participants (47.1%) believed that e-learning could address numerous educational problems.Most respondents (62.4%) indicated that e-learning contributes to time savings, while 60.6% expressed that it enhances accessibility to supplementary learning resources.However, most respondents (36.4) felt that elearning helps achieve better results.However, 51.8 of the same participants have neutral attitudes regarding this item.The study found that e-learning can enhance learner engagement, improve teacher-student interaction, and promote a better understanding of concepts (27.1%, 20.0%, 29.4%, and 34.7%, respectively).Almost 34.7% of the respondents experienced problems with e-learning rather than finding it helpful, and 45.2% believed it was too time-consuming.27.1% felt it had little impact on them, and 30.0% reported that it was as informative as learning from a teacher.According to a recent survey, 36.4% of respondents believe that e-learning has the potential to replace other traditional forms of teaching and learning.Additionally, 44.7% of participants found that e-learning helped reinforce their knowledge, while 40.6% felt it assisted them in organizing their work.Moreover, an overwhelming 65.3% of respondents agreed that e-learning made catching up on missed lectures easy.55.9% of respondents believe e-learning increases their effectiveness in creating presentations, and 50.0%think it enhances their research capability.Additionally, 45.9% of respondents feel universities should adopt e-learning for their students.

Intention to Adopt E-Learning
Table 5 shows the respondents' intention to adapt to e-learning.Most respondents (55.3%) did not feel uncomfortable with e-learning, while 30.6% found it to be a dehumanizing learning process.Nearly 48.2% of the respondents disagreed with e-learning, and 39.5% did not prefer e-learning because it leads to social isolation.About 44.7% of the respondents were not interested in e-learning, 47.7% planned to take e-learning courses, and 33.6% planned to buy a computer to follow lecture notes online.44.1% of the respondents found e-learning to be fun.27.1% of the respondents could not imagine their life without e-learning.

Ease of Learning
Table 6 illustrates that 57.1% of respondents found e-learning easier than the library.59.4% of the respondents indicated they could not read the lecture notes online.65.9% of them indicated that they cannot  efficiently balancing their familial obligations with their educational pursuits.In addition, 64.2% of the respondents favored allowing working students to study from home.

Relationships Between Attitudes & Socio-Demographic Variables
Table 10 shows the statistical relationships between attitudes toward e-learning and socio-demographic variables such as gender, year of study, college, and previous participation in e-learning.The findings indicated that there were not any statistically significant relationships between socio-demographic factors and attitudes toward e-learning.The statistical analyses revealed only a few significant relationships.First, there is a statistical difference between genders in the intention to use e-learning.Second, a statistical difference exists between participation in e-learning and intention to adopt e-learning.This finding indicates that engagement in e-learning enhances the inclination to embrace e-learning.Furthermore, there is a significant disparity in statistical data between the level of engagement in e-learning and the level of ease experienced in the learning process within e-learning platforms.Fourth, there is a statistical difference between the two universities in the dimension of technical support.

DISCUSSION
We aimed to investigate students' attitudes towards e-learning post-pandemic based on their experiences with e-learning activities.The findings indicated that most of the participants used laptops for e-learning.After getting the laptops, they used mobile phones during the e-learning activities.The finding regarding mobile phones is similar to the findings of Thapa et al. (2021).This result may be due to cultural habits that lead to an increased use of laptops in e-learning.Regarding the advantages and disadvantages of using e-learning, the results revealed that most participants indicated the convenience of studying from home as an advantage.This finding is closely followed by the advantage of learning at one's own pace, the comfort factor associated with e-learning, and the cost-saving aspect of reduced expenses on accommodation and transportation.Other notable advantages included the ability to access course materials remotely, the option to record meetings online, and the interactive style of online classes.These findings parallel Thapa et al. (2021), who reported that the main benefit of e-learning for nursing students was the opportunity to stay at home.This finding is also similar to the results of Monib (2023), who found that undergraduate students perceive elearning as useful in higher education.
Regarding the negative aspects of e-learning, the majority of participants highlighted that e-learning restricts interpersonal interaction, mostly resulting in social isolation, insufficient self-control, and internetrelated issues.Students experienced major disadvantages in e-learning due to internet and technical issues, consistent with other studies (Thapa et al., 2021;Uyar, 2023), indicating that a significant barrier to implementing e-learning has been recognized as an absence of technological resources.Additionally, almost half of the participants cited a lack of interaction as a disadvantage.In technology-based education, effective teaching and learning are crucial yet challenging in e-learning courses.
A comparison between traditional learning and e-learning demonstrated that face-to-face instruction was more efficacious than e-learning.According to this result, students in this research perceived e-learning as responsibilities and academic pursuits.In addition, more than half of them favored allowing working students to study from home.
The results concerning the relationships between attitudes toward e-learning and socio-demographic variables revealed no significant relationships between socio-demographic variables and attitudes toward elearning.This finding is consistent with previous research on higher education students' attitudes toward elearning (Kar et al., 2014;Thapa et al. (2021).In their study, Kar et al. (2014) determined no significant differences in university students' attitudes towards e-learning in West Bengal based on variables such as gender, stream of study, and locality.In addition, Thapa et al. (2021) reported the same results.The study of Ozaydin Ozkara and Ibili (2021) found that the students' results showed that students' attitudes toward elearning did not vary according to age, gender, and subject area.In addition, Rhema and Miliszewska (2014) found no statistically significant results regarding the effects of other demographic characteristics on the attitudes toward e-learning.In another study, no statistically significant differences were found in the attitudes toward e-learning between freshman and senior students (Monib, 2023).
On the other hand, this result is not similar to those of Uyar (2023), who found that male students, students with prior e-learning experience, access to the internet at home, personal computers, and students enrolled in technical courses exhibited more positive attitudes towards e-learning.Also, Prakasha et al. (2022) showed that females had more positive attitudes toward e-learning than males, and males showed an avoidant elearning attitude.They also found that the results showed that socio-economic status did not influence students' e-learning attitudes.Monib's (2023) research demonstrated a significant relationship between gender and perceived ease of using e-learning.Most males perceive e-learning in education as user-friendly, whereas females have a contrary opinion.Only a few significant relationships were found.First, these differences are not similar to Kar et al. (2014) and Thapa et al. (2021).The reason for these differences may stem from background and contextual factors.

CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
In this research, we explored higher education students' attitudes toward e-learning and the effects of socio-demographic factors on these attitudes.The results revealed that most participants had positive attitudes regarding the primary advantage of e-learning, which is the convenience of studying from home, as indicated by most participants.As respondents expressed, this finding is closely followed by the advantage of learning at one's own pace.Additionally, a considerable proportion of the participants highlighted the comfort factor associated with e-learning, along with the cost-saving aspect of reduced expenses on accommodation and transportation.Other notable advantages include the ability to access course materials remotely and the option to record meetings online.Regarding the disadvantages, most respondents indicated that e-learning limits interaction with others, followed by social isolation, lack of self-discipline, and internet problems.The results also showed that e-learning was perceived to be less effective compared to conventional face-to-face learning.In addition, the results demonstrated that, in general, there is no significant relationship between socio-demographic variables and attitudes toward e-learning.Only a few significant relationships were found regarding demographic variables on the attitudes.Based on these results, it can be concluded that, in general, students in this research had positive attitudes regarding e-learning.The results showed that students tended to prefer traditional face-to-face learning.Practical problems of implementing e-learning may be a possible reason for this result.The results demonstrate that universities in higher education should improve e-learning to increase its features to be more user-friendly and technically sound and provide more practical experiences effectively and efficiently.The findings offer new insights for higher education institutions using e-learning for instruction.The enactment and implementation of e-learning programs should provide more appropriate strategies to develop based on existing evidence to improve university students' attitudes toward e-learning.Researchers believe that e-learning after the COVID-19 pandemic provides new opportunities for higher education.The enactment and implementation of e-learning programs should contain a hybrid use of faceto-face and e-learning instruction in their teaching programs.

Limitations
The study has certain limitations.The primary constraint of this study lies in its nature, which restricts the generalizability of the results.The study was limited to university students in a certain country, which may limit its applicability to the wider population of the entire country.

Table 2 .
Results regarding advantages & disadvantages of using e-learning

Table 3 .
An analysis of efficacy of e-learning in comparison to traditional face-to-face learning

Table 4 .
Participants' answers regarding perceived usefulness

Table 5 .
Participants' answers regarding intention to adapt

Table 6 .
Participants' answers regarding ease of learning I find that using the Internet make me slow.

Table 10 .
Investigation of relationship between attitudes towards e-learning & socio-demographic factors

Table 10 (
Continued).Investigation of relationship between attitudes towards e-learning & sociodemographic factors