E-learning in a Nigerian university: Implication to higher institution students’ self-efficacy and academic performance during COVID-19

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 affected almost every sector, including higher education institutions across the world including Nigeria education system. This led to shift to online learning. For this purpose, the researcher aimed to investigate students‟ academic performance when e-learning is used in the teaching and learning process and also explored the significant difference based on gender on the activities students carry out with e-learning to boost their self-efficacy in times of COVID-19. There were 202 respondents, including 157 males and 45 females, from public higher institutions in Delta State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was employed. The findings of the study revealed that e-learning due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic negatively affects student‟s self-efficacy. Besides the study revealed significant differences on the activity‟s students‟ carryout (e-learning) to boost their self-efficacy across genders. The study recommended that, the Ministry of Education and all the involved stakeholders should provide online teaching applications, train and develop ICT experts who would partner with educators to provide e-learning facilities.