A Comparative Study into the Major Problems with Online Learning at International Balkan University (North Macedonia) and Gazi University (Turkey)

Much of the world changed with the outbreak of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and education was no exception. The transition from the traditional classroom and model of learning to the online one was a challenge for both students and teachers, at all levels of education. The survey we conducted aimed at answering two research questions, the first one investigating the main problems with online learning from the students’ perspective, and the second was trying to get feedback from the students on how some of these issues (and which) might have been/be overcome with the help of the professors and the university as a whole. The research also presents a comparative study between two universities from two different countries – International Balkan University from Skopje (North Macedonia) and Gazi University from Ankara (Turkey). An online questionnaire was administered to undergraduate and postgraduate students at these universities, and the results were surprising in the fact that all students, regardless of location or age, had exactly the same problems. Suggestions on overcoming the problems varied, but conclusions could be made to address and tackle the difficulties for the upcoming semester/s of online learning.