Understanding how demographic factors influence faculty member's perceptions of online learning success: A case study in Thai private higher education

Abstract

This research study investigates the influence of demographic factors, including gender, position, and year of experience on perceptions of online learning success during the pandemic. The study acknowledges that various factors, such as prior experience with online learning, technological literacy, and cultural context, influenced the perception of human resources towards online learning. The study will utilize a quantitative research approach with surveys and statistical analysis to gather and analyze data from executives managing education programs in Thai private higher education institutions. The participants in the study were executives managing education programs working in Thai private higher education institutions, including deans, vice deans, assistant deans, heads of departments, assistants to department heads, and full-time lecturers. A sample group of 213 participants will be selected using simple random sampling. Data will be collected through surveys distributed electronically to the selected participants. The survey will consist of a validated questionnaire with good content validity and reliability. Quantitative research methods will be employed to analyze the gathered data, including multivariate statistics (ANOVA), to interpret the findings. The research findings from this study will contribute to the existing literature on online learning effectiveness by examining the role of demographic factors in shaping perceptions of success in the context of the pandemic. The findings have practical implications for educational institutions in designing and implementing online learning programs during the pandemic and beyond, considering the demographic characteristics of their participants. The study suggests that institutions should consider the effects of gender, position, and year of experience in shaping perceptions and behaviours related to online learning, provide targeted support, foster collaboration and knowledge sharing, conduct ongoing research and evaluation, and adopt a multi-dimensional approach to enhance the effectiveness of online learning initiatives. Further study and contextual considerations are necessary to understand demographic factors' effects on online learning perceptions comprehensively.

Keywords

• online learning
• learning design
• curriculum management
• institution support
• student readiness
• technology