Impact of Critical Factors on the Effectiveness of Online Learning

Abstract

Higher education institutions went through a radical transition from face to face to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The transition and success of online learning depends on various factors. This research aims to measure the impact of critical factors on the effectiveness of online learning. The theoretical framework of the study considers eight factors namely, IT infrastructure, learning platform, students’ characteristics, faculty support, active learning, course design, development and delivery, evaluation and assessment, and institutional support. The study is quantitative; a well-structured survey questionnaire was deployed to collect data from participants selected based on a purposive sampling technique. The results indicate that the majority of the respondents perceived online learning as effective, which is reflected by the average score of 4 on a Likert scale. A model summary of the multiple regression analysis illustrates that 39.2% influence on dependent variable ‘effectiveness of online learning’ is due to the above-mentioned eight independent variables. The coefficients of the model show that active learning and institutional support have significant positive impact on the effectiveness of online learning. The findings provide direction to educators in strengthening the pedagogy of active learning across courses and institutional support in terms of IT infrastructure, IT support and services, faculty development program, and management vision towards digitalization. The theoretical framework of the study has been confirmed by the results as reflected by the perception of the staff and students who participated in the survey. This guides university management in designing strategies to ensure effectiveness of online learning.