Students online learning experience during emergency remote teaching in higher education

Abstract

For actionable insight, this study explored computer science and information technology students’ online learning experience in an emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic in a public technical university in Ghana. A mixed method research of both quantitative and qualitative design was used to expand the evidence base. The inherent set of factors of the learning experience were determined by an exploratory factor analysis and confirmed with a multiple regression. Six factors comprising sense of concern, institutional support, effective communication, connectedness, mediated technologies, and stress levels explained 66.5% of the variance in the patterns of relationship. All factors had positive regression weights and added significantly to the prediction. Potentials identified comprised positive reactions to institutional support, improved lecturer-student interaction, active participation, accessible course contents, and moderately high future online learning expectations. The challenges included unpreparedness, unreliable Internet, high cost of data, and incidental learning design and pedagogy. Evidently, the higher education landscape shifted during the pandemic in obvious ways to merit further studies and reflective online learning administration to inform robust technology-oriented post-pandemic practices.