The Impact of E-Learning (Distance Learning) Implementation during COVID-19 Virus Pandemic on Intended Learning Outcomes Achievement in Universities

Editorial

COVID-19 (2019–20 coronavirus) pandemic has affected the educational systems in all the world countries, leading to the near-total closures of universities, colleges and schools. As of 21 March 2020, approximately more than 632 from Arab universities have been affected (closures) in response to the pandemic. According to UNICEF monitoring, 186 countries have implemented nationwide closures and 8 have implemented local closures, impacting about 98.5 percent of the world’s student population [1]. On 23 March 2020,  Cambridge International Examinations  (CIE) released a statement announcing the cancellation of Cambridge practices (under and post graduates), for the May/June 2020 series across all countries [2]. International Baccalaureate exams have also been cancelled [3].

Due to my experience for many years in the quality and academic development, especially in supporting, following up and evaluating various academic programs at various Arab ‘universities since 2009 until now, which more than 1000 field visits, a special focus during those visits was on the graduates attributes of those programs, academic standards and intended learning outcomes (ILOs), as well as attention to how to transfer that knowledge and how to ensure that it is measured in direct and indirect ways.

In the time of Corona (started Jan. 2020), most of the universities in the Arab region went to the facilitated teaching and learning strategies that are available to them, as well as available assessment methods, and that was by using electronic platforms (electronic distance) such as Microsoft Times, Blackboard and others, However, many of the negative aspects of that strategy were observed in the students’ acquisition of the intended learning outcomes that are due mainly to the following reasons:

• Some students fail to fully respond to the obligation to attend virtual classes.

• Many students are not keen on inquiries and discussions during these classes
• Lack of appropriate educational environments in which those classes are implemented (teacher or learner environment)
• Unavailability of some teaching and learning resources, especially laptop computers, among students, and only the mobile
• The teacher’s inability to use multiple strategies and methods of teaching and learning and thus this affects the acquisition of targeted educational outcomes.

• Inability to use various methods of evaluation and relying on multiple choice, right and wrong for easy automatic correction and time control, which negatively affects the evaluation of the targeted educational outcomes.

• Weak distance education ability for students to acquire intended practical skills, especially in colleges of the health and engineering sector.

From what we mentioned we can conclude that distance education (e-learning) may be somewhat appropriate in transferring knowledge to some specialties, specially humanity sector in light of special conditions, including the appropriate number of students and the availability of appropriate e-learning environments from platforms, Internet points and laptop devices while with colleges of scientific and health sectors, it is possible only with some topics of the course . However, other parts of this course and the practical parts are compensated through direct communication (in light of specific directions and obligations to cope with the time of the outbreak of the Corona virus)