Quality aspects in online learning environments Student perspectives on conditions for experiencing quality within a teacher program at university level in Sweden

Sammanfattning

Aim: This Master thesis study aim is to highlight the quality aspects from astudent point of view, the demands and expectations of being a student in ahigher education online based environment. By asking students to reflect ontheir online learning environment, important aspects from a student point ofview will be explored, the student perspective and the student experience ofquality aspects when creating and facilitating a high-quality learningenvironment engaging the students in the teaching and learning processthroughout the course will be the focus. Also, the community created in theonline environment based on the aspects stated by the students will beanalyzed taking into consideration the subject learning and the socialinteraction taking place.Theory: The theoretical framework chosen for this study is Communities of Practicein E-learning CoPE (Chikh & Berkani, 2010). CoPE offers a structuredesigned to create and share knowledge in a systematic way, while workingin an online course environment. In the study, the CoPE will be used as aframework for understanding important aspects from a student point of viewwhen studying in an online course community, along with analyzing thestudent´s role as a member of the online community.Method: The method used to process the data collected from an online survey isthematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Thematic analysis offers anaccessible and theoretically flexible approach, not wedded to a specifictheoretical framework. However, the connection to a particular theoreticframework is important, to create clarity and put the assumptions of thenature of the data collected in relation to a theory where the data isvalidated. In the case of the study this theoretical framework isCommunities of Practice in E-learning CoPE (Chikh & Berkani, 2010).Results: The results of the study conducted show, considering relevant research inthe field, that students in a course in an online learning environmentcontribute much to the outcome of experienced quality of the learningprocess, by taking active part in social interaction activities thereby building3subject knowledge along with a shared learning experience. Aspects putforward by the students included the importance of communication and ofbelonging and being part of a solid facilitated structure. Working togetherand sharing knowledge lay the foundation for subject learning and sociallearning interaction thereby deepening the meaningfulness, the motivationand the ability for students to reach the learning outcomes.Discussion: This limited study, based on a small group of online university students, isin line with research in the field (Kostiainen et al., 2025), which suggests itmay be applied on a broader scale. CoPE emphasizes active roles forlearners which requires a framework supporting safety, exploration andflexibility in online environments (Conrad & Openo, 2018). As globalparticipation in online education grows, a systematic design of high-qualityenvironments becomes essential for student belonging and engagement(Kostianien et al., 2025).Conclusions: The study highlights that students significantly influence the perceivedquality of online learning by actively engaging in social interaction andshared knowledge building processes. High quality within online educationrequires transparent communication and a course design which incorporatesthe student voices being put at the center of the learning process. Whenstudent engagement is aligned with subject learning, sustainablehigh-quality online education can be developed, which becomesincreasingly important as digital learning continues to evolve.