Background The global introduction of complex measures directed at the containment of the COVID‐19 spread has spurred a massive shift to distance learning among educational institutions. As far as such a learning mode is rather forced and, probably, only a few establishments faced no difficulties with it, the matter of assuring teaching activities' effectiveness in the practice of e‐learning is relevant. Objectives The main purpose of this article was to assess the efficiency of online‐based tools and technologies in the context of distance education and develop a set of recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of online teaching. Methods The research methodology was based on an empirical approach presupposing an exploratory questionnaire survey addressed to university students. As for the e‐learning platform used, the focus was set on Microsoft Teams. Results and Conclusions In general, the conducted investigation unveiled that the perception of the role of the instructor differs among Western and Chinese students in terms of willingness to accept psychological help and the feeling of safety during online lessons. Given this, it is reasonable to pay more attention to the psychological well‐being of international students. The comprehensive analysis of survey outcomes allowed the development of a set of recommendations able to enhance the effectiveness of teaching in online settings. These encompass, for example, giving preference to small student group formations, setting greater emphasis on means increasing students' motivation to learn, involvement of instructors in the development and delivery of video lectures, the introduction of automated student assessment, use of multimedia information, and informing students about possible ways of interaction. Lay Description What is already known about this topic The comprehensive analysis of survey outcomes allowed developing a set of recommendations able to enhance the effectiveness of teaching in online settings. The most convenient digital features during e‐learning implementation were instant access to information and the availability of a shared chat room. Pre‐pandemic electronic learning was often criticized for insufficient student engagement and social interaction, leading to the need to increase student engagement through interactive online activities, virtual group projects, online discussion forums, and accessibility. What this paper adds In general, the conducted investigation unveiled that perception of the role of instructor differs among Western and Chinese students in terms of willingness to accept psychological help and the feeling of safety during online lessons. It appeared that international students are more exposed to stress factors and are less likely to trust an educator to the degree allowing them to ask for help. It was possible to develop a set of recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of teaching activities during e‐learning through an in‐depth analysis of survey results. Implications for practice and/or policy Several implications for future investigations can be identified, namely: conducting further studies on the psychological well‐being of international students in online learning, examining cross‐cultural differences, exploring the effectiveness of teaching practices, and addressing broader social issues and consequences. Further research should focus on institutions across China to generalize the results obtained and formulate more reliable inferences. Another limitation is related to the instructors themselves. This variation in specialization among participants could have had an impact on the study's results, but it was not possible to address this issue within the constraints of the current research design.