The CoVid-191 pandemic, first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December 2019 and subsequently spreading to 192 territories, created unparalleled global challenges for political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal, and environmental structures (PESTLE2). With respect to the socio-cultural sector and its subset of education and training, the delivery of “face-to-face” instruction in all segments was severely impacted - formal (kindergarten, compulsory, post-compulsory, higher-education); informal (child-care, professional development, adult training); non-formal (leisure, hobby, experiential courses). As a result of this massive disruption to education delivery modes - and notwithstanding priorpandemic e-learning, distance education, and correspondence schooling services - there was an abrupt need to thrust/entrust entire education and training delivery from in-person to on-line. This paper describes online learning origins, systems, platforms and learning models; examines the research on the merits and demerits of the online forum for education; explores online learning’s performance and the formal education sector in pre/current CoVid-19 times; and posits that monitoring, mentoring, and directed facilitation by an instructor-led online learning paradigm sustains student motivation and maintains retention rates. Research indicates that current online learning completion and attrition rates have significant disparity (Hone et al, 20163, Reich, 20144) and that instructor presence and mediation of content are critical factors. This pedagogical position is supported by the seminal research on online learning - social, cognitive, and teaching-presence theory in the Community of Enquiry (Garrison, 2007)5. For the formal education sector, presence through (synchronous/asynchronous) engagement via a mixed-mode (face-to-face/web-based/software-based) delivery model is best-placed to facilitate online course completion and stem online course attrition: Understanding the role of social presence is essential in creating a community of inquiry and in designing, facilitating, and directing higher-order learning. Balancing socio-emotional interaction, building group cohesion and facilitating and modeling respectful critical discourse is essential for productive inquiry…instructor immediacy teaching presence was more predictive of effective and cognitive learning than whether students felt close to each other. (Garrison, 2007. Ibid.) 1 World Health Organization. (2021, March 31). WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Web. Retrieved from https://covid19.who.int 2 Oxford College of Marketing. (2016, June 30). Blog. What is a PESTEL analysis? Retrieved from https://blog.oxfordcolleheofmarketing.com/2016/06/30/pestel-analysis 3 Hone, K. & El Said, G. (2016, July). Exploring the factors affecting MOOC retention. Computers & Education. 98, 157-168. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131516300793#cebib0010 4 Reich, J. (2014, December 8). MOOC Completion and Retention in the Context of Student Intent. Educause Review. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2014/12/mooc-completion-and-retention-in-the-contextof-student-intent 5 Garrison, D. (2007). Online community of inquiry review: Social, cognitive, and teaching presence issues. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. 11(1), 61-72.
Michael J. DI STASIO (2023) studied this question.