Exploring the Students’ Perceived Effectiveness of Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)
The world faced COVID-19, which was a threat to public health and disturbed the educational system and economic stability. Educational institutes were closed for a longer period, and students faced difficulty to complete their syllabus. The government adopted a policy of “suspending classes without...
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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author | Qamar Ali Azhar Abbas Ali Raza Muhammad Tariq Iqbal Khan Hasan Zulfiqar Muhammad Amjed Iqbal Roshan K. Nayak Bader Alhafi Alotaibi |
author_facet | Qamar Ali Azhar Abbas Ali Raza Muhammad Tariq Iqbal Khan Hasan Zulfiqar Muhammad Amjed Iqbal Roshan K. Nayak Bader Alhafi Alotaibi |
author_sort | Qamar Ali |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The world faced COVID-19, which was a threat to public health and disturbed the educational system and economic stability. Educational institutes were closed for a longer period, and students faced difficulty to complete their syllabus. The government adopted a policy of “suspending classes without stopping learning” to continue education activities. However, student satisfaction with online education is a growing concern. Satisfaction of students is an important indicator of academic quality. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the influencing factors behind learning satisfaction using information from 335 students from various institutes in Pakistan. This research examined the impact of computer and internet knowledge, instructor and course material, and Learning Management Systems (LMS) on learning satisfaction. The path coefficients were obtained via Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The LMS is a tool that facilitates the learning process with the provision of all types of educational material. The path coefficient was more in the case of LMS (0.489), which indicates its positive and significant role to attain learning satisfaction. The instructor and course material ordered second (0.261), which shows that the quality of an instructor and course material also plays a positive role to attain learning satisfaction. The computer and internet are essential ingredients of online education, showing a significant and positive path coefficient (0.123), implying that computer and internet knowledge could enhance learning satisfaction. The universities should develop their LMS to implement online education with quality course materials. It is also vital that the instructor should be up to date with modern learning techniques while ensuring internet connectivity, especially in rural areas. The government should provide an internet connection to students at discounted rates. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:18:57Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-d196aa81430348d28b226f36c76ab904 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2076-328X |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:18:57Z |
publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
record_format | Article |
series | Behavioral Sciences |
spelling | doaj.art-d196aa81430348d28b226f36c76ab9042023-11-18T18:20:09ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2023-07-0113757810.3390/bs13070578Exploring the Students’ Perceived Effectiveness of Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)Qamar Ali0Azhar Abbas1Ali Raza2Muhammad Tariq Iqbal Khan3Hasan Zulfiqar4Muhammad Amjed Iqbal5Roshan K. Nayak6Bader Alhafi Alotaibi7Department of Economics, Virtual University of Pakistan, Faisalabad 38000, PakistanInstitute of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, PakistanCollege of Life Sciences, Northeast Forest University, Harbin 150080, ChinaDepartment of Economics, Government Graduate College, Jaranwala 37200, PakistanInstitute of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, PakistanInstitute of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, PakistanDivision of Agricultural and Natural Resources, University of California, 2801 2nd Street, Davis, CA 95616, USADepartment of Agricultural Extension and Rural Society, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaThe world faced COVID-19, which was a threat to public health and disturbed the educational system and economic stability. Educational institutes were closed for a longer period, and students faced difficulty to complete their syllabus. The government adopted a policy of “suspending classes without stopping learning” to continue education activities. However, student satisfaction with online education is a growing concern. Satisfaction of students is an important indicator of academic quality. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the influencing factors behind learning satisfaction using information from 335 students from various institutes in Pakistan. This research examined the impact of computer and internet knowledge, instructor and course material, and Learning Management Systems (LMS) on learning satisfaction. The path coefficients were obtained via Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The LMS is a tool that facilitates the learning process with the provision of all types of educational material. The path coefficient was more in the case of LMS (0.489), which indicates its positive and significant role to attain learning satisfaction. The instructor and course material ordered second (0.261), which shows that the quality of an instructor and course material also plays a positive role to attain learning satisfaction. The computer and internet are essential ingredients of online education, showing a significant and positive path coefficient (0.123), implying that computer and internet knowledge could enhance learning satisfaction. The universities should develop their LMS to implement online education with quality course materials. It is also vital that the instructor should be up to date with modern learning techniques while ensuring internet connectivity, especially in rural areas. The government should provide an internet connection to students at discounted rates.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/7/578COVID-19 pandemicinternetlearning management systemlearning satisfactiononline educationefficiency |
spellingShingle | Qamar Ali Azhar Abbas Ali Raza Muhammad Tariq Iqbal Khan Hasan Zulfiqar Muhammad Amjed Iqbal Roshan K. Nayak Bader Alhafi Alotaibi Exploring the Students’ Perceived Effectiveness of Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Behavioral Sciences COVID-19 pandemic internet learning management system learning satisfaction online education efficiency |
title | Exploring the Students’ Perceived Effectiveness of Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) |
title_full | Exploring the Students’ Perceived Effectiveness of Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) |
title_fullStr | Exploring the Students’ Perceived Effectiveness of Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) |
title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Students’ Perceived Effectiveness of Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) |
title_short | Exploring the Students’ Perceived Effectiveness of Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Analysis Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) |
title_sort | exploring the students perceived effectiveness of online education during the covid 19 pandemic empirical analysis using structural equation modeling sem |
topic | COVID-19 pandemic internet learning management system learning satisfaction online education efficiency |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/7/578 |
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