Online Learning Readiness: An Exploratory Study of Freshman College Students in Northern Philippines

Abstract

Today, the power of technology is maximized in delivering tertiary education. This provides an opportunity for educators to find a way to adapt an instructional model that harmonizes with the students’ digital life, creating a meaningful learning experience. However, based on a previous study, the majority of the faculty members in the research site put much emphasis on conventional teaching methods. To address this seeming lack of integration of digital technology and instruction, this study aimed at exploring the online learning readiness (OLR) of the 310 freshman students enrolled in a private university in northern Philippines. A cross-sectional survey design was used, and the construct was measured using an Online Learning Readiness Scale. Descriptive statistics showed that 82.7% of the students access the Internet daily, and all of them own at least one electronic device that can be used for e-learning. They have multiple access points to the Internet, and all of them have acceptable online learning readiness. There was a statistically significant difference in students’ OLR based on their chosen discipline. A Kruskal-Wallis H test indicated that students of engineering, information technology, and health sciences programs have higher OLR than the rest. These results imply that school administrators consider training the faculty members for blended instruction, developing a learning management system to cater to the students’ readiness for e-learning, and improving the ICT infrastructure.