Challenges and opportunities related to online studies in higher education

Technological and societal developments have increasingly led to higher education programs and courses being offered online as distance education. This can mean an opportunity to study regardless of time and place and thereby combining work, family life, and studies. However, online distance studies also introduce problems at the societal, organisational and individual levels. Due to the rapid transformation of the higher education system towards a larger share of digitalized courses and programs, one can expect that the related problems will also increase. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate experiences and thoughts about challenges and opportunities related to online studies among second-semester master's students. Data was collected via interviews and analysed using a phenomenographic approach. The analysis revealed increased demands on the student, remote communication and social interaction, and varying conditions for studying from home. The demands on self-leadership, social skills, and digital competence had increased compared to previous campus-based studies at a lower level. These findings pinpoint the importance of taking into consideration student awareness and support regarding self-regulation of study planning, time allocation, and execution of assignments. It also includes teacher awareness of creating a sense of community and avoiding a mere task orientation despite the online context.