Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Use of Digital Technology in Distance Learning during the Pandemic
Keywords:
distance learning, digital technologies, learning effectiveness, the COVID-19 pandemic, Online EducationAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered major disruption to the global education system and forced a massive shift from face-to-face learning to digital technology-based distance learning. This rapid and wide-scale change raises fundamental questions about the effectiveness of the use of digital technology in supporting the quality of learning processes and outcomes. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of the use of digital technology in distance learning during the pandemic through a systematic literature study of empirical articles with international reputation. The study used a systematic literature review approach by analyzing 62 Scopus and Web of Science indexed Q1 journal articles published in the 2020–2024 period. The analysis was carried out thematically, focusing on the dimensions of academic achievement, learning engagement, perception of learning quality, and psychosocial impact. The results of the study show that digital technology in general is able to maintain the sustainability of learning and maintain academic achievement in certain contexts, especially higher education. However, this effectiveness is contextual and influenced by the quality of pedagogical design, digital literacy readiness, and socio-economic conditions of students. Additionally, fluctuating learning engagement, digital fatigue, and technology access gaps emerged as key challenges in distance learning during the pandemic. These findings confirm that digital technology cannot be seen as a universal solution, but rather as part of a learning ecosystem that requires mature pedagogical integration and access-equity-oriented policy support. This research makes a conceptual contribution in understanding the effectiveness of digital learning in crisis situations and becomes the basis for the development of sustainable digital learning models in the post-pandemic era.
Downloads
References
Aristovnik, A., Keržič, D., Ravšelj, D., Tomaževič, N., & Umek, L. (2020). Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on life of higher education students: A global perspective. Sustainability, 12(20), 8438. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208438
Bao, W. (2020). COVID-19 and online teaching in higher education: A case study of Peking University. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(2), 113–115. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.191
Bond, M., Bedenlier, S., Marín, V. I., & Händel, M. (2021). Emergency remote teaching in higher education: Mapping the first global online semester. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00282-x
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Broadbent, J., & Poon, W. L. (2015). Self-regulated learning strategies and academic achievement in online higher education learning environments. The Internet and Higher Education, 27, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2015.04.007
Cao, W., Fang, Z., Hou, G., Han, M., Xu, X., Dong, J., & Zheng, J. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China. Psychiatry Research, 287, 112934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112934
Clark, R. E. (2018). Learning from media: Arguments, analysis, and evidence (2nd ed.). Information Age Publishing.
Dhawan, S. (2020). Online learning: A panacea in the time of COVID-19 crisis. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 49(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520934018
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text‐based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2–3), 87–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6
Garrison, D. R., & Arbaugh, J. B. (2007). Researching the Community of Inquiry framework: Review, issues, and future directions. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(3), 157–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2007.04.001
Gonzalez, T., de la Rubia, M. A., Hincz, K. P., Comas-Lopez, M., Subirats, L., Fort, S., & Sacha, G. M. (2020). Influence of COVID-19 confinement on students’ performance in higher education. Computers in Human Behavior, 120, 106733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106733
Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause Review, 27.
Kitchenham, B., & Charters, S. (2007). Guidelines for performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering. EBSE Technical Report.
König, J., Jäger-Biela, D. J., & Glutsch, N. (2020). Adapting to online teaching during COVID-19 school closure: Teacher education and teacher competence effects among early career teachers in Germany. European Journal of Teacher Education, 43(4), 608–622. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1809650
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.
Martin, F., Sun, T., & Westine, C. D. (2020). A systematic review of research on online teaching and learning from 2009 to 2018. Computers & Education, 159, 104009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104009
Mayer, R. E. (2020). Multimedia learning (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Means, B., & Neisler, J. (2021). Teaching and learning in the time of COVID: The student perspective. Online Learning, 25(1), 8–27. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i1.2496
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L., & Koole, M. (2020). Online university teaching during and after the COVID-19 crisis: Refocusing teacher presence and learning activity. Postdigital Science and Education, 2, 923–945. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y
Resnik, D. B. (2020). The ethics of research with human subjects. Springer.
Scherer, R., Howard, S. K., Tondeur, J., & Siddiq, F. (2021). Profiling teachers’ readiness for online teaching and learning in higher education. Computers in Human Behavior, 118, 106675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106675
Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (2018). Self-regulated learning: From teaching to self-reflective practice. Guilford Press.
Shea, P., Richardson, J. C., & Swan, K. (2020). Learning presence: Towards a theory of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and the development of a Community of Inquiry in online and blended learning environments. Computers & Education, 143, 103713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103713
Tandon, U. (2021). Factors influencing adoption of online teaching by school teachers during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Public Affairs, 21(4), e2503. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2503
Teo, T., Zhou, M., Fan, A. C. W., & Huang, F. (2019). Factors that influence university students’ intention to use Moodle. Educational Technology Research and Development, 67, 749–766. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09665-6
Trust, T., & Whalen, J. (2020). Should teachers be trained in emergency remote teaching? Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 28(2), 189–199.
UNESCO. (2020). Education: From disruption to recovery. UNESCO.
Van Lancker, W., & Parolin, Z. (2020). COVID-19, school closures, and child poverty. The Lancet Public Health, 5(5), e243–e244. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30084-0
Zawacki-Richter, O., Kerres, M., Bedenlier, S., Bond, M., & Buntins, K. (2020). Systematic reviews in educational research: Methodology, perspectives and application. Springer.
