An International Comparison of Online Learning Transition During COVID-19

Abstract

This article looks into the impact of COVID-19 on the digitization of work and learning, specifically for adult educators (post-secondary educators and trainers) around the world. It provides a comparison of adult educators in Singapore and their international counterparts from the United Kingdom, European Union countries, and the United States. Results show international respondents tended to view transition to online learning, teaching, and assessment (LTA) as a temporary response to the emergency due to COVID-19, while the perceptions of respondents from Singapore seemed to represent a general sentiment toward a more permanent shift to online LTA rather than an emergency response. Additionally, respondents from Singapore tended to be more positive when it came to rating the impact of the online transition. Regardless of the differences in their views, it appears online LTA is here to stay, and the immediate challenge would be to make appropriate continuing professional development arrangements to support adult educators around the world to cope with this transition. It is, therefore, hoped the lessons learned from this current study could provide useful references to a wider community in higher education and adult training to emerge strong from the pandemic.