Measuring the impact of COVID-19 on distance learning for educational sustainability

Abstract

The current health emergency has a significant effect on the educational community in unprecedented manners. Most of the educational activities are conducted via online to engage their students by keeping social distance. Most instructors and students face huge trouble using digital systems because they have no prior training about online learning systems. The aim of this study is to measure the student attitude toward online teaching during COVID-19. This study is different from existing literature, where online enrollment of courses is an option with a reliable learning management system (LMS) for students and teachers rather than an educational emergency. During this health emergency, we conducted an online survey to collect student response from 15 higher education institutions across Pakistan. The responses of 525 students were analyzed by using partial least square (PLS). We observed that the limited interaction and lesson plan have a significant impact on student attitude, while interaction with teachers has no impact on student attitude. In this study, we also provide a framework to use existing resources and LMS to improve the educational sustainability during COVID-19 pandemic.