Post-pandemic assessment of online teaching and learning in higher business education

Purpose: Academic institutions with sufficient resources rapidly deployed virtual teaching technologies and training to minimize disruption following the Spring 2020 [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic. This paper shares a College of Business experience to provide insights for administrators tasked with future online course scheduling decisions. Design/methodology/approach: An online questionnaire was administered in Fall (2020) to measure student perceptions of online learning using Likert-style questioning. The researchers used the results to build a structural equation model...  [+] Show more

Purpose: Academic institutions with sufficient resources rapidly deployed virtual teaching technologies and training to minimize disruption following the Spring 2020 [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic. This paper shares a College of Business experience to provide insights for administrators tasked with future online course scheduling decisions. Design/methodology/approach: An online questionnaire was administered in Fall (2020) to measure student perceptions of online learning using Likert-style questioning. The researchers used the results to build a structural equation model to differentiate perceptions between online course modalities and curriculum rigor (graduate/undergraduate, upper/lower divisions) and field of study (quantitative/qualitative, MBA/MS [Master of Business Administration/Master of Science]) factors. Findings: The empirical findings support the notation that graduate and undergraduate learners exhibit different preferences of online modalities. The findings further demonstrate that curriculum rigor factors and field of study influence student satisfaction of online courses. The evidence also suggests varying dependence on instructor competency and technology effectiveness across asynchronous, hybrid, and synchronous modalities.

Practical implications: While this study is limited to the results of one higher education institution during a tumultuous period, as online education trends increase, the authors' methodology can be adapted and scaled to support post-pandemic administrative decision-making. Originality/value: The research provides a new dimension on the perspectives of online learners through gathering perceptions in a timely student-centered survey administered during the emergency alternative modes of instruction. The research explores certain predictive factors to better align online modalities with learner satisfaction.

Published abstract.