Study on the Effectiveness of Online Platform for Efficient Learning Amongst Tourism Students during COVID-19

Abstract

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COVID-19 is a pandemic that has affected over 170 countries around the world. Since the beginning of 2020 the world has witnessed dramatic changes in many sectors including the education system. The COVID-19 pandemic possesses a huge challenge in the way the traditional education system functions. In India, as the virus captured the community, students confined to their homes and academic community were forced to explore the medium of digital technology to provide education that reach beyond the school boundaries into the homes of millions of students. There are concerns from the stake holders in education about effectiveness of online teaching in comparison with social context of traditional class room learning. This study examines online learning in tourism higher education during the period of lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. Study aims to identify the effectiveness of the online teaching during the lockdown period. It also discusses the possible benefits and disadvantages of using e-learning in higher education for tourism and identifies the effectiveness of various online platforms for e learning among tourism students. The reliability of the self made instrument used for data collection is measured using Cronbach’s alpha. To identify the factors, the Exploratory Factor Analysis has been used. Exploratory factor analysis increases the reliability of the scale and the dimensionality of items constructed by analysing the existence of relationships between perception of respondents and online learning. To validate the instrument, Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used while AMOS was used to construct an online education model. The findings of this study offer useful suggestions to academicians to get more familiar with the main factors of the e-learning system. The study also helps student community by identifying shortcomings in the online learning trajectories so that the online learning can be strengthened. The study is predominantly focused in the state of Kerala, India.

Keywords: COVID-19, Online Learning, Tourism Education, EFA, CFA

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