Learning from home: the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning

Abstract

Purpose With the impact of COVID-19, the educational system across the world had to be reviewed and readapted. Both learners and tutors were forced to adopt the online teaching and learning mechanism. Learners had to cope with the drastic teaching mode. In all of these, the student’s level of satisfaction remains pivotal. Teaching and learning remain successful if the students are satisfied and engaged. Therefore, this study aims to identify and assess factors that influenced students’ level of learning from home satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach This study followed a mixed-method approach. Online focus groups were arranged to devise indicators for factors like the accessibility of lecturers, support from university and conducive home environment. A questionnaire was designed and disseminated through an online survey. A response rate of (N = 169) was received. The proposed framework was tested in two phases: confirmatory factor analysis and partial least square structural equation modeling. Findings The findings revealed that education/life balance and learners’ commitment have a positive and significant relationship with learning from home satisfaction. Accessibility of lecturers and a conducive home environment positively influenced education and life balance. Learners’ commitment was influenced by the accessibility of lecturers, education and life balance and support from the university. Support from university was positively influenced by the accessibility of lecturers and a conducive home environment. Originality/value Various studies focused on the quality of online teaching and learning, and very few studies paid attention to the day-to-day lives of learners at the tertiary level. This study has borrowed organizational factors and adapted them to the students’ lives with two theoretical foundations which will enable a better understanding of the students.