IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

Abstract

Pandemic was a serious test for higher education institutions, as key institutions of higher education, that showed the extent to which professors and students have adopted and used all the advantages of new technology in teaching. This is exactly what this research aims for; assessment and comparison of the performance of students who attended traditional classes before the pandemic, and online and combined during the pandemic. In addition to success, this research will show whether the way of teaching affects the presence and activity of students. Data were collected from traditional classes (March - July 2019), online classes (March - July 2020) and combined classes (March - July 2021). The main research question in this study is whether there was a difference in the success of students who attended classes in the traditional way, online or by combining these two models. To obtain the results, a t-test of independent samples was performed with the calculation of the mean and standard deviation. This relevant research shows which approaches and methods of teaching English for students gives the best results, given the specifics of its implementation and the need for interactivity during teaching.