Investigation of Views of Students and Teachers on Distance Education Practices during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

The aim of this study is to reveal the opinions of teachers and students about the distance education applications carried out in the COVID-19 pandemic, which was identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and has spread around the globe in no time. The population of the research consists of 16 teachers and 20 students. The data were analyzed by content analysis technique and divided into themes, sub-themes and codes. It was concluded that students and teachers have positive and negative opinions about distance education activities. The fact that education can be carried out in a planned and scheduled manner even under extraordinary conditions is frequently expressed in positive opinions. Issues such as restricted interaction, infrastructure problems and lack of equipment are among the remarkable negative opinions regarding distance education activities. In addition, opinions have been put forward that distance education will be used more effectively in the future along with necessary improvement and in-service training.