Support services in emergency remote education: A research on incoming students through the Erasmus+ exchance program

With the development of globalization and technology, rapid changes and transformations have been taking place in our life practices. These changes have accelerated with the Covid-19 epidemic that has been around since 2019. Face-to-face education has been stopped as many people could not leave their homes during quarantine due to the epidemic. In order for learners to continue their education activities during the pandemic, many institutions have tried to reach their students by starting emergency distance education activities. Institutions that moved from traditional education to emergency distance education needed to provide appropriate support services to learners so that they could maintain and increase their education quality. In this study, the experiences of foreign students coming within the scope of Erasmus+ mobility to access the support services they need in the emergency distance education processes are discussed in the context of cultural differences and quality criteria for online learning. By applying qualitative research processes in a single case study pattern, in-depth interviews with semi-structured interview questions were conducted with eight students who came from different countries and cultures within the scope of Erasmus+. According to the categories and themes found as a result of the descriptive content analysis made with the NVivo program, and the research results discussed; in order to make improvements in the support services offered, it is necessary to structure the support services by taking into account the cultural differences of the learners. In addition, it has been observed that the harmonious and effective work of the departments and units with each other within the institution increases access to support services and thus improving learner satisfaction.