Opportunities, quality factors, and required changes during the pandemic based on higher education leaders’ perspective

Abstract

The pandemic period in education brought many challenges to all organizations. The activities of the higher educational institutions are being affected and the situation can last for a longer time. Under these circumstances, it is important to shift to online learning and improve educational processes through all organizational levels. The organizations had to assure appropriate distance or remote learning process by identifying their opportunities, meeting challenges, and identifying the sustainable quality factors for remote or distance learning. This study aimed to map and test the factors that influence online learning success in the pandemic situation in higher education in one of the European Union countries, Lithuania. Factors analyzed and presented in the paper are the quality of institutions and services, infrastructure and system quality, quality of courses and information, and online learning environment. Data were collected through surveys by distributing questionnaires and interviews. Authors are providing the main criteria for successful education based on administrative positions and design makers of the educational organizations. The article summarizes the interviews of 15 respondents from the three Lithuanian higher education institutions and how their informants met changes, opportunities, and identified quality factors addressed to the successful learning and teaching process during a pandemic period.