Journal of Physical Education and Sport ®(JPES),Vol 21 (Suppl. issue 2), Art 137 pp 1091 – 1097, Apr. 2021 online ISSN: 2247 - 806X; p-ISSN: 2247 – 8051; ISSN - L = 2247 - 8051 © JPES --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1091 Corresponding Author: ARLETA HREHOROWICZ, E-mail: arleta_hrehorowicz@sggw.edu.pl Original Article Sports in college – opinions of generation Z about physical education during the COVID-19 pandemic ARLETA HREHOROWICZ Institute of Sociological Sciences and Pedagogy, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, POLAND Published online: April 30, 2021 (Accepted for publication April 15, 2021) DOI:10.7752/jpes.2021.s2137 Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of the study was to understand how students perceive online physical education in the higher education environment. Secondary goal was to gauge the effectiveness of the aforementioned online courses in maintaining physical shape of the students. Methodology: A quantitative study was performed leveraging the diagnostic poll method in a form of a questionnaire. A proprietary online questionnaire was used. Deliberate sample selection targeted students of the first three semesters of Pedagogy at the Social Sciences Department of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. The author is a faculty member of the department therefore access to the respondents was a key factor in choosing the test group. The reason the first three semesters were chosen is a result of the University policy which makes physical education mandatory for all students during these semesters. Findings: Most students are satisfied with how online physical education was organized. However, at the same time the physical shape of respondents deteriorated. Over 90% were happy with the choice of a specific course within physical education. Most popular choices were volleyball, weight lifting and functional training. 43% of the sample students would like to continue physical education online which given the course seems to be a surprisingly high result. Research and practical limitations: The study was conducted on a relatively low sample (N=70). Pedagogy students were the only one sampled. Since the questionnaire was online the responsiveness was lower than it would have been had the study been done in a face to face mode. Given these limitations the results should be treated as an introduction to a wider study in this area. Course instructors were adequately prepared and motivated to organize the activities of the students. It can be reasoned that regardless the challenges of conducting physical education online it is possible to make the courses attractive to the participants. The effectiveness measured as physical shape of the students is inferior to the standard physical education courses. Originality: The study in one of the first empirical analysis in this field. Keywords: online learning; COVID-19; generation Z; physical education; higher education Introduction For months Poland and other countries have been struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities educating hundreds of students had to undertake decisive measures. In order to protect health and life while continuing educational activities higher education institutions decided to shift to online courses. One of these online courses was physical education. In my opinion it was physical education that induced the most emotional response among students. It was difficult to imagine partaking in physical education online. Education is mostly attributed to stationary activities which is not reflective of classical assumptions of physical education courses (Momot et. al., 2020). Although literature captures the idea of e-learining (Szczepaniak-Sobczyk, 2016; Wierzbicka, 2019), the benefits of technology in higher education (Mokwa-Tarnowska, 2015; Jancarz-Łanczkowska, 2016; Turula, 2018; Novopysmenny et. al., 2020) and guidelines for proper online education UNICEF, 2020) to this day very little attention was given to physical education online in higher education settings and to effective means of achieving online physical education goals. Among the factors which influence the perception of online courses by students (Eom, Ashill, 2018) the following are mentioned: a) the attitude of the teacher (attitude towards technology, level of commitment, easy of communication), b) the quality of information (educational materials used – clarity of materials, their usefulness, attractiveness, availability, the information on the conditions of passing), c) quality of the service and d) the attitude of the student (motivation, commitment to the course, perception of usefulness). George Veletsianos and Royce Kimmons (2020) leveraged the method of collecting data from social media and analyzed the opinions of thousands of students (from Canada and the US) on the transition from stationary to online education. The source of these opinions where tweets (Kimmons, Veletsianos, 2018). They reached the following conclusions: - students value teachers that has a positive approach and a calm disposition;