Beliefs, emotions, and usage of information and communication technologies in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Health sciences students’ perspectives

OBJECTIVES: First, to examine Health Sciences students’ discipline, educational level, number of online courses taken, and emotions regarding distance learning; second, to explore a model in which information and communication technologies' (ICT) beliefs serve as mediators among ICT's emotions and ICT usage. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. Participants consisted of 210 students from the School of Health Sciences at the University. Perceptions toward ICTs in Teaching-Learning Process Scale and Computer Emotion Scale were used. RESULTS: Nursing students report significantly more ICT-related negative emotions than Management of Health Systems students. Students who took a low or medium number of online courses report significantly more ICT-related positive emotions than students who took a high number of online courses. In addition, ICT-related beliefs did not mediate the effects of ICT-related positive emotions and ICT usage but did mediate ICT-related negative emotions and ICT usage. CONCLUSIONS: The digital tools in online courses should be appropriately combined with the learning method, and course content. It requires not only a solid technical foundation but also an educational mentality, as well as an adjustment period.