Effectiveness of online teaching & learning during COVID19 pandemic: A case study at college of science & technology, Royal University of Bhutan

Abstract

A study was carried out to assess the effectiveness of online teaching and learning at the College of Science and Technology, Royal University of Bhutan. As a case study, two modules under the electrical engineering program taught at the sixth and eighth semesters respectively were chosen. A non-statistical purposive sampling method with a mixed-mode research approach was used to assess the effectiveness of online teaching and learning during the COVID 19 pandemic with 73 respondents. Analysis of the data revealed that students were coping up well with the sudden shift of lesson delivery from traditional offline mode to online mode and learning outcomes were achieved with 43% of the respondents agreeing to it. The offline mode of teaching and learning is still the choice of mode of learning followed by mixed-mode learning. Online learning is also able to engage students meaningfully with 44% of the respondents saying they were able to communicate in the online class effectively. Generally, students were not satisfied with the online lesson mainly citing weak internet connectivity, increased distractions at home, and lack of motivation. The case study also revealed that online learning gave more flexibility, it is more convenient, and learning at its own pace is one of the greatest benefits of online learning which shows that CST has a good foundational platform for online teaching and learning. The study also highlighted the importance of changing the instructional strategies to suit the online lesson delivery for learning to be effective.