RUSU Delia-Georgeta2026-05-142026-04-281454-685Xhttps://oasis.utcluj.app/handle/123456789/710As technology has lately become more of a partner than a tool for learning and research, the present study aims to shed light upon those aspects where online education has proven to have an impact upon output and interaction between students in their social and educational environments. This new partner greatly used in traditional education systems to provide access to varied authentic data, to published or shared work, has now offered engagement opportunities that go beyond affordances of classroom settings and stimulate the acquisition of the 21st century skills in various ways, as the results of our survey at Cluj-Napoca Technical University have shown. The purpose of the study is, on the one hand, to analyze the effect that using technology has had on communication, collaboration, the ability to find solutions to problems or to adopt certain strategies, in other words, its effect upon learning skills. On the other hand, life skills have been brought into focus, in that they are essential in helping students keep up with today`s competitive world. Thus, we have discussed the implications that a computer-mediated environment can have on skills such as adaptability, initiative or social interaction. Although the results were rather diverse since we have been forced by circumstances to quickly adapt to online technology exclusively, the respondents` answers have showcased the necessity of using technology in the future as well, alongside face-to-face interaction for the benefits of preserving social skills. Being rather difficult to predict what the future holds, we estimate that communication, teamwork, adaptability and other soft skills which are enhanced by face-to-face interaction are likely to continue to develop in an online environment as well, once there is a wish to collaborate, and interaction is equally encouraged in virtual environments as it actually is by the teenagers nowadays.enonline learningcommunicationface-to-facesoft skillssocial interactiondataset