Factors Influencing the Quality of Distance Learning—A Serbian Case

This study examines the key factors influencing the quality of distance learning in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when online learning became the dominant mode of education. Using a descriptive method and a 26-item questionnaire, data were collected from a representative sample of 360 students in Vojvodina, Serbia. The factors analyzed include computer literacy and technology access (Ph1), students’ ability to balance life obligations with study demands (Ph2), and their motivation for distance learning (Ph3). The results show that 89% of students had adequate IT access, 47% were able to reconcile study and personal obligations, and 70% reported strong motivation. Correlation analysis confirmed a statistically significant positive relationship between all three factors and students’ perceptions of well-organized distance learning, thus supporting the main research hypothesis. Beyond these findings, this study interprets digital literacy as adaptability, time management as resilience, and motivation as value orientation and future thinking—core dimensions of sustainability competences outlined in the European GreenComp framework. Distance learning is therefore positioned not only as an emergency response but also as a transformative pedagogy that integrates brain (knowledge), hands (skills), heart (values), and spirit (purpose), contributing to sustainable and resilient higher education.