Pathology

Sociology

Social distance

Pedagogy

Test (biology)

Disease

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Distance education

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Biology

Pandemic

Operating system

Computer-mediated communication

The Internet

World Wide Web

Mathematics education

Paleontology

Psychology

Computer science

Social media

Process (computing)

Medicine

Cogent Arts and Humanities

COVID-19 has led to an increase in the use of distance learning and social media for educational and communication purposes. The paper aims to investigate the factors that impact communication and collaboration in a distance learning environment in and outside of the virtual classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of social media in this process. The online survey was used to collect the data and test the research hypotheses. In total, 234 students' answers were analyzed. The study findings indicate that the increasing use of Facebook (FB) for professional purposes improves students' communication and collaboration during distance learning courses. High activity on FB and LinkedIn (LKND) is important for communication with educators. In line with engagement theory, active participation in distance classes and high assessment of the online tools used positively influence the processes of communicating and collaborating among students. The study contributes to the distance learning literature as it adds to our understanding of distance learning in the midst of a pandemic through the lenses of engagement theory. It also has practical implications for all active participants in the educational process.

Distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: students’ communication and collaboration and the role of social media