Is Online Learning Sustainable? Understanding the Factors Affecting the Quality of Online Learning as a Method of Knowledge Transfer: A Study Based on India

Our study was aimed at finding that out the sustainability of online education as a method of knowledge transfer by investigating into the factors that affected the quality of online learning for a developing nation like India. Survey data was collected from 439 respondents belonging to 13 undergraduate colleges and 17 universities/institutes. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted. The reliability of scales was assessed. Maximum shared squared variance (MSV) was determined. Discriminant validity was also determined. We have also used multiple regression analysis in our study Our study concluded that quality of online learning was significantly and positively influenced by factors comprising online learning behavioural aspect, motivational factors, satisfaction factors, improvement of online learning, faculty support, technical support and factors comprising course content and course content format, performance ability and online learning deficiencies had significant but negative influence on the quality of online learning. The study showed that online learning has the advantages of ease of learning, flexibility, innovativeness, global outreach, accessibility to the best of online materials, on one hand, and on the other, the system is plagued with disadvantages in the form of lack of interactions, constraints with respect to technology, lack of connectedness, feeling of loneliness and inevitable distractions. So online learning becomes fruitful only when the learners are technology savvy, self-motivated and disciplined.