Learning Mathematics of Financial Operations during the COVID-19 Era: An Assessment with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling

María del Carmen Valls Martínez, Pedro Antonio Martín-Cervantes, Ana María Sánchez Pérez and María del Carmen Martínez Victoria
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María del Carmen Valls Martínez: Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Pedro Antonio Martín-Cervantes: Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Ana María Sánchez Pérez: Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería, 04120 Almeria, Spain
María del Carmen Martínez Victoria: Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería, 04120 Almeria, Spain

Mathematics, 2021, vol. 9, issue 17, 1-21

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all walks of life, including education. Universities have been forced to teach in a blended or online environment, which has led professors to adapt their traditional teaching–learning methodologies. The professors of Mathematics of Financial Operations at the University of Almeria (Spain) have created video tutorials so that students can autonomously prepare the theoretical part of the subject, leaving the face-to-face classes for practical exercises. This article aims to analyze the effectiveness of video tutorials and the autonomy finally achieved by students in their learning. For this purpose, a questionnaire was carried out in which, through 21 questions, the constructs Autonomy, Effectiveness, Depth, Format, Challenge, and Use were assessed. Based on these six latent variables, the proposed model using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology revealed that students considered the Format and Depth of the video tutorials crucial for genuinely effective performance learning and promoting their autonomy. On the other hand, the variables Challenge and Use were poorly rated. This article presents an original valuation model, which has the virtue of achieving a prediction of 78.6% and, in addition, has high predictive power.

Keywords: video tutorials; blended learning; online learning; financial mathematics; COVID-19; autonomy; effectiveness; PLS-SEM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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