USE OF EMOJI TO EXEMPLIFY STUDENTS' ATTITUDE TOWARDS E-LEARNING DURING COVID-19

Abstract

This paper aims to talk about in what way emojis can define undergraduate students' attitudes towards e-learning during COVID-19. As electronic learning is growing at a noticeable rate to carry out the teaching-learning process, according to the current scenario, amid COVID-19, e-learning is the only solution to carry on the teaching and learning process. Educationists worldwide have switched to it in the hope of continuing efforts to teach their learners. According to Wagner (2008), e-learning makes reachable supplementary prospects for communication between the student and teacher amid content conveyance. According to Davis (1989), any individual can adopt any changes in technology depending upon their thoughts and opinions about how this new technology will benefit them. An emoji is a visual representation of an emotion, object, or symbol. To conduct the research, an activity worksheet was used in which students were supposed to use an emoji to define their attitude toward e-learning during COVID-19. They were also supposed to briefly express how that Emoji depicts their attitude by using adjectives and the way they feel about their e-learning experience. The sample size of 150 students has been analyzed by exploring theories of e-learning, especially Constructivism by McPherson and Nunes (2004) and Connectivism by Siemens and Downes (2004), along with the valuable viewpoint of various theorists regarding e-learning. Learners have used different emojis and adjectives to express their attitudes towards this modern process of learning. Data analysis revealed an unexpectedly not-so-positive attitude of students towards e-learning; for many, it is an unsatisfying, problematic, and anxious experience. Teachers play a key role in educational settings. Their perception and ability to use e-learning can also affect learners' attitudes towards e-learning. Although this research represents an effort to discover the attitude of undergraduate students towards e-learning during the COVID-19 environment, there were some limitations as well. Additionally, this research will open vistas for researchers who are interested in e-learning and the use of emojis.