COVID-19 Scenario of Online Education: A Study Based on Acceptance Level of Online Learning among Students of Gujarat During Lock-down

Abstract

The pandemic COVID-19 forced all the educational institutions across India to remain shut from mid-March 2020. The sudden lockdown in between the ongoing academic sessions created the opportunity to switch over to online teaching through digital platforms. The e-learning market was estimated to grow even in normal circumstances, but this pandemic has given a great lift to this online learning. Various researches have been done on the usefulness of technology for online teaching but what is the level of acceptance among users i.e., students, should be understood. This study aims at understanding the acceptance level of students for online teaching. For this research data was gathered from 1,057 undergraduate and postgraduate students of Gujarat who had attended online lectures during the lockdown period of pandemic. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the research model and based on analysis strategic options which could be utilized post COVID-19 were suggested. The research identified that students had a favourable attitude towards using online mode of education. Attitude in this research was considered as a result of Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perception about Complexity of using Internet (PCI). The results highlighted that students perceived online classes as useful to them in terms of improving knowledge, solving doubts related to the subject, saving time as well as scoring good marks. If the technical glitches can be resolved then it can increase the effectiveness. This paper helps in identifying the behavioural intentions of students for accepting online platforms and making strategic decisions for upcoming academic sessions.