Post-covid 19 training: users’ perception on the effectiveness of virtual learning environments for skill acquisition

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease which originated from Wuhan, China in December of 2019 which quickly spread across the world rapidly through the movement of people and goods at an exponential and alarming rate infecting and killing millions. In Nigeria and across the world steps were taken to suppress and control the spread of the Covid-19 including closing of schools, universities, training institutions, event centres, markets and other places of public gatherings. While closing education institutions were important in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, prolonged closures negatively impact learners of all categories and disproportionately affected all forms of learning and trainings. This situation therefore called for creating opportunities for learner to learn and acquire skills virtually. The adoptions of Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) and platforms as became the order of the day. Virtual learning environments are web based platforms for digital solution aimed at creating interactive and an active learning environments. VLEs help create, store and disseminate course content, lessons and foster communication between learners and teachers. They play an essential role by providing users with learning flexibility and unprecedented opportunities to co-create information. VLE platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webinars, Google Classroom, Moodle etc. allows students to study at their own pace and automatically tracking their progress as they collaborate and learn. The use of online and virtual learning platforms is here to stay but this reality is threatened by the perception of end users which always determine the effective of such platform for skill acquisition. This can be linked to the fear of unknown future, lack of technical abilities to use this platforms, comfort in the traditional in person or face to face mode of learning, lack of adequate infrastructure such as internet facilities, smartphones and devices. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the Post-Covid 19 Training: Users Perception on the Effectiveness of Virtual Learning Environments for Skill Acquisition.