Assessment of the Experiences of Higher Education Institution on Online Learning: The Case of Some Selected Institutions

Abstract

Thanks to COVID-19, e-learning has become one of the platforms for the teaching-learning activity in Ethiopia. Many high schools and higher institutions tried to manage to not disrupt the academic calendar by providing learning materials, mainly focusing on contents and exercises, via an electronic platform, Telegram. E-learning, also referred to as online learning, is an educational technological tool embracing self-motivation, communication, efficiency, and technology and it is becoming the default of 5th generation of Distance Education. In online learning, active engagements of the learner and the instructor are expected while the teaching-learning process is going on. The engagement can be either using off video text exchanging or video conferencing on platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, MOODLE, etc. This study was designed to assess the experiences of selected HEIs (American College of Technology, Yardstick International College, ET Online College, and Unity University) in their establishing phase of the online learning program. Structured interview questions were forwarded to the principals of the institutions to get answers to the research questions which were framed from the rubrics of HERQA. The study found out that ‘digital contents’ seemed to be lacking the attributes which are ascribed by the experts of the field.