Change in E-learning Readiness and Challenge for Myanmar Higher Education

Abstract

The advantage of technology has paved way for innovation in higher education. Because of being cost-effective, unlimited time and place, the universities from the developing world are also trying to integrate e-learning into their traditional education system. However, as a fundamental process, they require the readiness assessment before their e-learning implementation. Moreover, the evaluation on readiness should be done as on-going process so that readiness movements are able to be confirmed, and necessary preparations in line with their updates can be effectively done. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the e-learning readiness of two Myanmar technological universities are stable or not, and to find out which items happened the highest difference between 2016 and 2017. To examine the changes in e-learning readiness, the paper-based data collection was done using questionnaires and shared toward 648 students in 2016 and 1024 students in 2017. Data analysis was done by indexes of descriptive statistics and independent t-test. Findings reveal that their readiness was a significant decline in 2017. Moreover, the items with highest changes were addressed, and the readiness levels on each studied dimension were also measured. In addition, the study points out blackout problems found in Myanmar universities. Understanding the barriers directed by e-learning readiness encourages Myanmar universities to make an e-learning effort on what kind of strategies and preparation should be emphasized.