Theme 4: Inspiring relationships with the peers
doubts
A shared experience among the students, regardless of their respective groups, was the strong bond they formed with their peers. This bond was so impactful that the students preferred engaging with their peers rather than the lecturer, irrespective of the teaching modalities. As a result, we established the theme: ‘Inspiring Relationship with the Peers’. Moreover, the participants in the synchronous group strongly felt the presence of their peers. The possibility of asking direct questions and relating to peers allowed them to be included in constant confrontations with the other students. So, they felt they could increase the knowledge and skills they learned not only from the lecturer of the course but also from their peers.“…the beauty of doing a synchronous course is any way this: the interaction, also perhaps with other participants, and also the exchange of ideas, or at least learning from each other’s questions…” (P23, woman, 22y, Synchronous Group).Irrespective of their group, the interviewees preferred engaging in peer-to-peer discussions rather than contacting the lecturer directly. Consequently, they initially felt more at ease expressing their doubts and concerns to their peers before approaching the lecturer.“… I did not contact the lecturer directly, but through the course representatives. We brought our doubts and problems in a shared way”. (P19, woman, 23y, Synchronous Group)