How Effective is Online Education During the Current Pandemic Due to COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced educational institutions and universities across the country to suspend classes and lectures, forcing them to resort to online education to continue educating students. While the change could have been smooth for the more technologically adept institutions, many others are still coping. The change affects students, and even more importantly, educators, who have to revamp their lesson plans and pedagogy. While many articles state the infrastructural disparities between regions within the country, few speak about the effectiveness of the online courses. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of online education in the current scenario. The subjects of this study were students currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration, all of who are attending online lectures. Using online questionnaires for students and in-depth interviews with faculty members, data was collected via convenience sampling. A total of 141 students in business school responded to the questionnaire, and interviews were conducted with ten professors in Business Schools. The findings of the study reveal that despite the lack of adequate infrastructure, the students have found means to adopt this new medium of learning. The motivation is high amongst the teachers and students, who are equally enthusiastic about learning via the new platform.

Keywords: Classroom, Corona Virus, COVID 19, Education, Effective Online Education, Electronic Learning, E-learning, Faculty, Higher Education, India, Online Courses, Online Education, Online Learning, Online Lectures, Pandemic, Pedagogy, Students, Teachers, Technical Infrastructure, Technology.