Perception of Faculty and Students about E-learning – Its Feasibility, Acceptance, and Implementation in COVID Pandemic Crisis

Context: The study aimed to understand the perception of faculty and undergraduate students toward E-learning and its acceptance and feasibility during the corona pandemic. Aim: It aimed at collecting suggestions to improve the teaching–learning process. Settings and Design: This was an online survey conducted using Google Forms. Subjects and Methods: Responses were sought from participants through Google Forms and their feedback was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire which had 14 items including demographic profile, platform used for online teaching–learning, advantages, comfort level, usefulness of platform, challenges faced, and suggestions for improvement. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical Analysis was done by using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Results: Responses were sought from a total of 447 (436 + 11) participants through Google Forms. Out of 447 participants, 321 responses (71%; 95% confidence interval CI; 67.5–75.8) were recorded and their feedback was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire which had 14 items including demographic profile, platform used for online teaching–learning, advantages, comfort level, usefulness of platform, challenges faced, and suggestions for improvement. The response rate was 71.4%% (95% CI; 67.5–75.8). About 81% (95% CI; 67.5-75.8) of participants were happy with the ongoing online teaching–learning. About 52.9% (95% CI; 47.3–58.6) are using Google Classroom, 32.2% (95% CI; 27–37.6) are using video-based platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Cisco Webex. About 53.6% (95% CI; 48–59.2) of participants viewed Google Classroom as the best platform, whereas 44.1% (95% CI; 38.5–49.7) favored video-based platforms for teaching–learning. Conclusions: Online classes were found acceptable by most of the students and faculty. The positive feedback and suggestions helped in the planning of E-learning classes in the existing curriculum for future.