Online Education: Benefits, Challenges and Strategies During and After COVID-19 in Higher Education

Abstract

The pandemic COVID-19 has forcefully shifted the mode of teaching and learning from only face to face to online in the higher education of Nepal, which is new experiences and practices for many of the teachers and students. In this context, this study investigated teachers’ and learners’ perspectives on online education in relation to its benefits, challenges and strategies during and after COVID-19 in higher education of Nepal. To achieve this objective, online survey research design was employed. Survey questionnaire were used in the study to determine the perspectives of 280 teachers and students from five universities of Nepal. The results showed that the participants experienced online education beneficial primarily for promoting online research, connecting the practitioners to the global community and getting huge and authentic resource of knowledge though they have found time-management skills, more freedom to the teachers and learners, and   reliable internet at workplace as the extreme challenges. The research also revealed time management skills, technological prepared and computer literate are the basic qualities for the practitioners who want to have online education. The participants suggested that ICT policy should be clear and courses should be developed accordingly. Only online mode of teaching and learning in the context of Nepal cannot be effective so the participants preferred blended learning. The findings of the research indicated that online education can be an alternative means of traditional education. Thus, if blended approach is implemented, the education process would be more effective and successful in the contexts like Nepal.