Sustainable Engagement of University Students in E- Learning during the Post-pandemic of Covid-19: Evidence from Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Bridging the lacuna in the context of higher education in Sri Lanka and up-to-date research literature, this study was carried out to recognize the key determinants of sustainable engagement of university students in e-learning during the post-pandemic of Covid-19. This was carried out as a cross-sectional field study, predominantly applying the hypothetico-deductive approach, in which the researchers’ interference on the study sample was minimal. Final sample consists of 590 respondents selected randomly from the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. Primary data were collected through a survey questionnaire developed based on the standard measurement scale; ‘sustainable engagement in e-learning’ which was administered to the respondents directly via on-line mode, as a google form. Data analysis were done with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel employing descriptive statistics, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and One-way ANOVA. Moreover, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five senior lecturers randomly selected from each academic department in the Faculty. Students in the sample have shown a higher degree of engagement in e-learning. Among them, 87.8% of the respondents were highly engaged in e-learning during the post-pandemic of Covid-19. Except the academic department to which the student is attached, relationship of other factors with engagement in e-learning were found to be statistically not significant. Further, it is found that number of assignments per course, nature of those assignments, online lecture time, learning activities designed for students other than lecturing and the level of monitoring of student engagement through LMS are different among the academic departments. Further, the conduct of live-lectures via zoom or any other possible virtual platform is emphasized more effective to get a higher level of student engagement than merely uploading a recorded lecturer into LMS. Building on such, the present study strongly suggests to re-install a ‘hybrid mode of blended learning’ to get the engagement of students in the long-run instead of mere concept of ‘learn from home’.