Sense of Belonging and Student Commitment in the Context of Higher Distance Learning with Virtual Mediation

Abstract

Both technological advances and the context of the pandemic have positioned virtual mediation as a strong alternative for the transit and projection of higher education institutions and their adaptability to new demands, contexts, and changes. The implementation of remote virtual mediation as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the sense of belonging and student commitment in higher education with face-to-face modality. However, the question arises as to how the behavior of these variables is consolidated in higher education institutions in which remote virtual mediation has always been their methodological hallmark. Seeking to establish the profile of the students of the National Open and Distance University (UNAD) in these contexts and to analyze the interaction of the variables of student commitment and sense of belonging, in this order of ideas and in a random manner, the investigators took a sample of 312 students from the aforementioned university. In this way, the study was developed from a positivist paradigm, with a descriptive-inferential level of depth, with a prospective, cross-sectional and non-experimental record. In addition, the authors used 2 instruments for data collection. The first one was focused on the measurement of the degree and the orientation of the student commitment, while the second one identified determinant factors in the sense of belonging. Finally, the investigators concluded that there is a tangible difference between the profile of the distance education student and that of face-to-face education. Likewise, it is recommended to delve into research focused on the processes of a sense of belonging and student commitment, even more so in distance Higher Education, which has not been sufficiently explored.