Student's online learning readiness in times of Covid-19: self-report of undergraduate psychology students in Portugal

In times such as these of world pandemic where the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in the shutdown of schools and universities for face-to-face learning activities, the use of digital technology was intensified. The online learning environment is different to the regular classroom environment. Technology may offer multiple opportunities for learning and diverse means for teaching. The use of technological solutions to enable the continuity of learning from home raised challenges to continue effective teaching-learning processes. Considering online learning, some dimensions have been identified as relevant for learning to occur and be effective. Students’ readiness for online learning is one of these dimensions. This brief study aimed to measure undergraduate Psychology students’ online learning readiness at a Portuguese university. Participants exhibited above-medium levels of readiness toward online learning and presented highest readiness in the subscale of technical skills, followed by communication competencies, and the lowest readiness in the subscales related to social competencies both with classmates and the instructor/teacher. From these results, we can derive implications for teaching practice.