COVID-19 Pandemic Disruption and Efficacy of Blended Learning on Learning Outcomes

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic that broke out globally in March 2019 disrupted lives and livelihood around the world. Around 2.6 billion from Asia to Europe to Africa were quarantined. The pandemic wrung in fear, anxiety and loss of life impacting the psychological wellbeing of everyone (WHO, 2020). The virus affected approximately 118,000 people in 114 countries around the world forcing the World Health Organisation to declare it a pandemic on the 11 March 2020 (WHO, 2020). By 15 June 2020, 435,600 people had succumbed to the killer virus with 7.9 million people testing positive. Educational systems around the world too were troubled due to the unexpected spread of the infection. The pandemic shut academic institutions all around the world disrupting teaching-learning process as countries imposed strict lockdowns and quarantine rules. Nevertheless, academic institutions found new ways of continuing the teaching-learning process and quickly implemented the Blended Learning Educational Pedagogy. This study examines the efficacy of the Blended Learning Pedagogy on learning outcomes among learners during the pandemic. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire designed for the purpose of the study. Accordingly, 152 participants were included in the sample chosen using the convenient sampling method. Among them, 106 respondents were classified as active users of blended learning whose opinions were gathered for effective analysis. The study shows a strong positive correlation between Blended learning and learning outcomes. The result indicated a 53% correlation, whereas the extent of influence on learning outcomes was nearly half of it indicating that blended learning partially impacted learning outcomes.

Keywords: COVID-19, Blended Learning, Learning outcomes, Education Sector