Assessment of the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the prospects of e-learning in higher learning institutions: The mediating role of academic innovativeness and technological growth

Abstract

This paper assesses the antecedents (prospects) geared toward the implementation of e-learning strategy in the HLI’s of Ghana (a developing country) amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The study again espouses the enabling factors that influence the e-learning system usage during the Covid-19 pandemic in a less digitalized economy. In doing so, the authors relied wholly on a quantitative research paradigm by leveraging on structural equation modelling (SEM) technique to achieve the study goal(s). The findings from 563 valid responses showed that the outbreak of the novel Covid-19 has positively and significantly strengthened the adoption of e-learning strategies across HLI’s in Ghana. It also revealed that “academic innovativeness” and “technological growth & development” have a significant mediation effect on the relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic and the adoption of e-learning strategy. In practice, the study offers contributions for universities’ management and policymakers to understand the relevant factors needed urgently by students and instructors of HLI’s for ensuring the successful usage of e-learning systems. The conclusion and future research direction has been presented in the paper.