Abstract
<p style="text-align: justify;">This study aimed to explore online and distance learning (ODL) issues related to higher education during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nepal. We applied an online survey design with a five-point Likert scale. We surveyed 71 (57 male and 14 female) postgraduate students in science education at a public higher education institution in Kathmandu, Nepal. A Principal Component Analysis identified four major constructs as the components of ODL issues. They are scarcity, efficiency, access, and inconvenience. The results of the Independent Samples Test (t-test and ANOVA) showed that participants' views about scarcity were significantly different across their gender (male and female) and device use (mobile, laptop, and desktop). They were not significantly different in their views about efficiency, access, and inconvenience across gender, device use, hometown, age group, ethnicity, and school type at .05 level of significance.</p>
Highlights
The history of formal distance education in Nepal dates back to 1978, when a teacher training project began on the radio with the support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the British Council, and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) (Holmes, 1990)
This study aimed to explore online and distance learning (ODL) issues related to higher education during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nepal
We have discussed the results of the study in four sub-sections: descriptive, one-sample t-test for significance of sample mean for each item in the principal components, and parametric tests for comparing means for each principal component with respect to several independent grouping variables, such as gender, hometown, ethnicity, age group, and device use
Summary
The history of formal distance education in Nepal dates back to 1978, when a teacher training project began on the radio with the support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the British Council, and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) (Holmes, 1990). The mode of distance education has changed drastically due to the Internet and related technology. Nepal has achieved 63% Internet penetration by the year 2019 (Ministry of Communication and Information Technology [MoCIT], 2019). Some policies have been implemented to guide the development and use of digital technology in Nepal (MoCIT, 2015, 2019). A recent initiative with the Geo-Satellite Policy 2020 has added a new vision to utilize the space for communication, national security, and education, among other implications (MoCIT, 2020). The High-Level Education Commission Report of 2019 advised the government to develop open and distance learning to provide better access to education (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology [MoEST], 2019)
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