Еxploring e-learning critical success factors in digitally underdeveloped countries during the first wave of the COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Regarding the fact that the entire spring semester in higher education was based on online teaching realized at the state University of East Sarajevo, and that the students thus gained a completely new experience, the aim of this research is to identify and study the e-learning critical success factors (CSF) on the basis of the students' perceptions. A number of 356 students of all 17 faculties with in the University participated in the research. The students' attitudes were collected by the instrument containing 36 items, constructed on the basis of a comprehensive review of previous researches of the e-learning critical success factors and semi-structured interview with the students. Seven factors were extracted and studied by the factor analysis: quality learning materials, student's attitude toward e-learning, teacher's attitude toward e-learning, technological support, classroom interaction, student's activities and teacher's attitude towards students. In response to the pandemic, universities are expected to change their traditional concept of learning and offer models of distance learning in the future. Therefore, the results of this research may be of key importance for the selection and implementation of the appropriate e-learning applications and platforms.

KEYWORDS:

• Student’s perception
• pandemic Covid 19
• critical success factors
• higher education
• online learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the grant “IMP002 – Research on educational activities and educational work in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic – online teaching, distance teaching, hybrid teaching. Analysis of digital competencies of educators and digital maturity of schools”, which is generously supported and financed by the Teacher Training Faculty in Prizren – Leposavic, University of Pristina – Kosovska Mitrovica.