Undergraduate Students’ Readiness for the Utilization of Online Learning Platforms During the Covid-19 Lockdown in Rivers State

Abstract

The covid-19 pandemic took the education sector unawares as it did other sectors. The lockdown imposed by the Rivers State Government during the pandemic ensured the safety of inhabitants but made online learning mandatory for educational institutions. This research assessed the readiness of six hundred and twenty seven (627) 300-level undergraduate students for the utilization of online learning platforms (Google classroom and Zoom) in the Faculty of Education in three universities in Rivers State, Nigeria. The design of the study was descriptive survey research with two research questions and two hypotheses. A questionnaire that contained items to determine the readiness extent of students for the use of Google classroom and zoom as online learning platforms was used for data collection. The face and content validity of the instrument was ensured by experts in measurement and evaluation. Test retest method was used to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire. The initial and retest scores were correlated using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and a reliability coefficient of (0.730) was established. Mean and Standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that undergraduate students' readiness level for the utilization of zoom videoconferencing app and Google classroom was to a high extent. Given this finding, it was recommended that educational institutions should provide free internet service to students to enable them utilize Google classroom and zoom effectively for their learning.