Insights from online education in the Egyptian higher education

Abstract

Purpose – The introduction of technology in education has been a strategic objective at both the governmental and educational institutional levels long before Covid-19. However, the acceleration to e-learning caused by the pandemic disrupted the traditional classroom environment overnight forcing the entire sector at all levels, school, undergraduate and postgraduate, to shift to online learning. Regardless of readiness, the action was taken, and online instruction was implemented, improved, adjusted and enhanced during the experience. After 18 months comprising three semesters of online education amongst MBA and DBA students, the researchers decided to survey to investigate and assess the quality of the experience. The study aims to investigate the students’ perception of this unique opportunity to provide an assessment of online education in higher education, achievement or failure, and based on the results, provide a roadmap for improvement. The study also addresses the uniqueness of the Egyptian higher education environment and the particularity of its student’s context. Design/methodology/approach – This study used a quantitative descriptive survey method to find out how students felt about their online education by giving them a questionnaire and using automated numerical computation to generate data. The total number of the completed survey was 853. However, to include only those responses that were completed attentively, a speed factor was calculated for each respondent. Cases with speed factors higher than three were excluded from the sample, leading to 666 accepted responses. Data collected were analysed using correlation, regression and path analysis. Findings – Favourable satisfaction levels towards online education, and favourable perceptions towards university support, instructor–student communication and course design were found. Less favourable perceptions were found towards peer collaborations and student initiative. Research limitations/implications – While the study proves reliability through the number of candidates participating in the survey, the rigorous measures of eliminations in the sample, the validity value of the questionnaire and the literature recommendation of the model are used here; yet it is important to point out that: further elements in the e-learning can and need to be studied, such as cultural implications, generational differences, government support reality from policies to infrastructure and management philosophy readiness in developing countries amongst other factors. Practical implications – Resources and skills are amongst the factors that were found to affect students’ satisfaction with online education, directly and positively. Student initiative was found to have a moderating role in how student, instructor and institution determinants affect students’ satisfaction with online education. Originality/value – The uniqueness of this paper is that it seeks to assess the agility of the Egyptian education system during COVID-19 in higher education. It provides evidence to the current status as no study assesses the student perception.