Academic Performance’ Dynamics of Generation Z Representatives (Electrical Engineering Students and Other Specialties) During the Transition to E-learning in Covid-19 Crisis

The purpose of the research is to study the dynamics of academic achievement of the Ukrainian generation Z during the transition to e-learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The relevance of the chosen topic is due to the fact that the study of the dynamics of students’ academic performance during the transition to a distance format in a pandemic COVID-19 provides an opportunity to explore the benefits of this form, as well as identify problem areas. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were set and solved: the students’ academic performance was monitored at the end of the fall and spring semesters of 2019-2020 (i.e. before the beginning of distance learning and after the end of the academic year in the distance format) to identify the dynamics of success and clarify its correlation with such indicators as gender, year of study (graduation or non-graduation), speciality profile. A survey of students was conducted to study the attitude to e-learning and identify the most popular platforms and tools for distance learning. Based on the results of monitoring and survey, the specifics of Generation Z in terms of academic performance in e-learning is analysed and recommendations are developed. The study confirmed the hypothesis that representatives of Generation Z show higher academic performance in e-learning compared to the traditional form. The results of the survey showed that most of the respondents have a positive attitude to e-learning, although they consider it as a temporary option in a crisis. The main advantages of e-earning students consider the ability to focus on specialized subjects and flexible time planning for learning; the main disadvantages are the lack of real communication and instant feedback. The most popular platforms (means) of elearning were Moodle and Zoom.