The participating students spoke candidly about their experiences since March this year. What they unanimously missed is the physical presence of fellow students and teachers. Everything is online, even the social activities. That is sometimes difficult, they said. They also found it a lack that it is less easy to ask a question, have a discussion and learn from the cultural differences in an international environment during an online education session. Staying motivated is not easy, because under these circumstances you cannot quickly consult with a fellow student or ask a teacher for an explanation. As a result, it takes more effort to process the subject matter, which increases the study load. They force themselves to maintain a healthy daily routine by taking regular walks and leaving the screen for a moment. They also liked that more and more fellow students are coming back to Maastricht again, even if sometimes only for a few days a week.

Involvement

The UM students appreciated that they are involved by their teachers and by the education experts in the search for the best solutions within the existing possibilities. They are continuously asked about their experiences with online, hybrid (half of the tutorial group on campus, other half online) and blended (combination of online and on campus) education. They saw a strong development there since March, when a rapid transition to online education had to be made. There are even teachers who organize online social activities to allow students to experience some sort of social student life under these circumstances. Students themselves do the same: they set up groups that play online games and talk to each other about other matters than their studies. Education experts said that the value of a physical campus is only now really becoming visible. It consists of face to face contact, a daily rhythm and interaction with others.