STUDENTS’ SATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY OF THE ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM IN THE RURAL AREA: A CASE STUDY FROM GILGIT-BALTISTAN OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the students’ satisfaction with the quality dimensions of online learning in a rural area of Pakistan. The dimensions were System Quality, Information Quality, and Service Quality. Using the quantitative approaches to the investigation, online learning quality was measured through students’ satisfaction level on the given three key dimensions. University students in the area who were using online university applications (Learning Management System), were considered. Using a stratified random sampling technique, a sample of 300 students was taken in to fill out a self-developed questionnaire.  The strata were considered students with different backgrounds of studies from different faculties to minimize the technical bias that includes the faculty of social sciences, faculty of Natural sciences, and the faculty of Arts and Humanities. The data were analyzed using SPSS, V 23, both descriptive, such as the mean, the median, and SDs, and inferential statistical tools such as t-tests, Anova. It was found that the students were moderately satisfied with the Online learning quality (average rating being between 5 to 6 out of 1-10). However, among quality dimensions, system quality had the highest satisfaction level as compared to IQ and SERQ, whereas Information Quality showed the least satisfaction. No impact of gender on the satisfaction of online learning quality was found. There were variations in satisfaction with online learning quality; however, the difference was only significant for the difference between the faculty of social science and the faculty of natural science. These findings will help policymakers and educationists to bring further improvement in the quality of online learning in the rural areas of Pakistan as well as internationally.