Impact of Learning Digitization on Business Education Quality: The Moderating Role of International Accreditation Bodies

Abstract

The digitization of higher education (HE), particularly general and business education, is increasingly becoming a necessity in the post–COVID-19 pandemic period, forcing higher education institutions (HEIs) to switch to digital learning, with all of its accompanying challenges. This study focused on investigating the effect of digitizing HE learning on the quality of business education and the moderating influence of international accreditation bodies on this relationship. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from a convenient sample of 232 business HEI faculties in the Kingdom of Bahrain. A simple regression analysis was used to test the study’s hypotheses. The findings indicate that learning management systems, student assessment and student interaction have a significant impact on the quality of education in a digital classroom setting. It was further found that international accreditation bodies have a significant positive moderating influence in maintaining and enhancing the quality of digital business education during pandemic and post-pandemic periods. Additionally, these bodies provide support to HEIs to help overcome challenges in ensuring the quality of digital learning. The implications and potential contributions of the study are discussed along with its limitations and areas for future research.