Barriers of e-Learning Perceptions among University Students and Lecturers during the COVID-19 Crisis: A Cross-sectional Study in Malaysia, 2021

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted teaching and learning in a variety of institutions. During the pandemic, e-learning replaced traditional classes to prevent transmission among lecturers/teachers and university students. The study’s main objective was to identify the attitude and barriers to e-learning perceptions among university students and lecturers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia in 2021. The specific objectives were to identify the infrastructure, attitudinal, technical expertise, and human and educational skill barriers to e-learning implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify significant differences in e-learning perceptions among university students and lecturers. A cross-sectional study collected closed-ended questionnaires from university students and lecturers shared via electronic platforms. The minimum sample size required in this study was 462; 847 respondents (217 were lecturers/teachers and 630 university students) voluntarily participated. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the questionnaire of attitudes and barriers and its values was 0.851 and 0.96, respectively. Findings were tabulated with mean scores for the attitudes towards the use of e-learning, and barriers to e-learning included five categories: infrastructure barriers, attitudinal barriers, technical expertise barriers, human barriers, and educational skill barriers. University students and teachers/lecturers did not prefer replacing traditional teaching methods with e-learning as it affects their interaction. Administration, faculty admins, and the department of education should take note of the improvement and the necessary measures that can be applied for effective and better teaching and learning during the lockdown due to COVID-19.