Escaping the COVID-19 Pandemic with High-Speed E-Learning: Capabilities, Engagement, and Quality in Malaysian Higher Education

Abstract

Despite growing optimism, the COVID-19 pandemic has overstayed with its new 'delta variant' sweeping across continents. Consequently, higher education institutions across the globe have strategically switched to e-learning platforms to escape the massive uncertainties triggered by the ongoing global pandemic. Hence, the attraction and engagement of millions of new e-learners towards technology-enabled virtual learning environments are highly dependent on critical factors such as quality of e-service, e-information, and e-system, etc., for e-learning success. To address these emerging challenges and to bridge the research gap, the present study empirically explored the effects of e-learning communicat ion networks, includ ing the quality of e-service, e-information, and e-system, on e-learning in Malaysian Higher Education. Notably, the mediating mechanism of e-learner's engagement in the processual and holistic model of e-learning quality was also examined. Drawing on study data of 450 e-learners and utilizing structural equational modeling (SEM), the findings established that e-learning quality is significantly influenced by e-service quality, e-system quality, and e-information quality, as mediated through e-learner's engagement. The study implications include new empirical evidence on boosting e-learning quality during the pandemic-induced global education crisis and identifying the critical drivers of communication technologies in higher education (i.e., quality of e-service, e-information, and e-system) to better interpret the changing ingredients of e-learner's engagement.

Post-COVID Education: Virtualization as the Way Forward

“…One influential and comprehensive theory is the Process virtualization theory (PVT) to describe virtual processes. The PVT, proposed by Overby [1], has gained attention in several domains such as e-commerce [5], health [6], governance [7], e-learning [2,4,8], and information technology [9]. The strength of PVT lies in postulating interaction and the tradeoff between more pragmatic factors in developing one's inclination towards the virtual process [5].…”

“…The rationale is that the lower sensory requirement (SR) of a process, the more suitable it is to be done virtually and vice versa. Similarly, learning materials' audio and visual requirements could improve learning outcomes' quality [4]. As a result, it would be challenging to execute the more demanding sensory needs and manipulate physical objects in the virtual environment.…”

“…Nonetheless, issues like non-availability and reach of technology may inhibit e-learning [2,3]. The opportunities in online education necessitated by COVID-19 pandemic need to be explored as they are expected to be standard practices in the future [4]. One such opportunity is virtualization.…”

“…One such opportunity is virtualization. Virtualization is taking place in many contexts, including education (e-learning), shopping (e-commerce), and friendship development (social networking sites and virtual worlds) [4][5][6]. However, some processes are more amenable to virtualization than others.…”

“…Furthermore, Scholars [1] indicated that formal education might be virtualized under certain situations and for subjects. Students' e-learning engagement in the virtualized learning environment can affect the student's performance [4]. Virtual outcomes are therefore determined by the e-learning process virtualization in the virtual learning environment.…”