(L) Hasan Dhaifallah Omar Alhaddad, Student of first semester of Electrical Engineering at College of Engineering Qatar University, Mohammed Abdelkarem Mohammed, a student of Business and Economics at Qatar University.
The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health issue and has had a significant impact on education. Consequently, Qatar University (QU) newly admitted students began their student life with coronavirus restrictions.
Due to the pandemic, new learning methods were delivered via distance learning. The university aims to evaluate the student perspective of distance learning compared to classroom learning.
Many students applied to QU before coronavirus, and by that time, social distancing had entered Qatar’s day-to-day vocabulary. The e-learning system has been the new system adapted to become as safe as possible during the pandemic.
Students at QU shared their sentiments on the distance learning system while starting their university life during the pandemic.
Hasan Dhaifallah Omar Alhaddad, a first-year student at QU’s College of Engineering, said: “I decided to study in QU before the pandemic because of the golden opportunities this university provides. I was extremely sure that QU would be a safe choice because student safety is their top priority.”
COVID-19 did not stop the learning system at QU, and rather, it continued through different mediums such as Webex, Microsoft Teams, and more. QU fulfilled student-learning requirements through online portals.
“Qatar University has provided all students with easy access to all services through online portals. Students can pay fees through these platforms, buy online books, book an appointment to meet an academic advisor, etc. I am delighted because QU made all the students feel that the pandemic will not be an obstacle in any way,” said Hasan.
Mohammed Abdelkarem Mohammed, a first-year student at QU’s College of Business and Economics, said that QU’s response to the pandemic facilitated his decision to study at QU.
“In the beginning, it wasn’t easy for me to adapt to the new method of distance learning. However, step by step, I excelled in dealing with it and faced all challenges. In this way, I scored highest in my semester,” said Mohammed.
Mohammed explained that the distance learning system positively affected his mental health; he had time to discover his hobbies, study more, meditate, and develop himself during this phase.
QU is committed to providing all precautionary and preventative measures to protect its students from COVID-19 while studying from home or inside study halls and laboratories (such as maintaining a safe distance between seats, wearing masks at all times, providing sterilisers in laboratories, and other precautionary measures).
