Academic student satisfaction and perceived performance in the e-learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence across ten countries.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically shaped higher education and seen the distinct rise of e-learning as a compulsory element of the modern educational landscape. Accordingly, this study highlights the factors which have influenced how students perceive their academic performance during this emergency changeover to e-learning. The empirical analysis is performed on a sample of 10,092 higher education students from 10 countries across 4 continents during the pandemic's first wave through an online survey. A structural equation model revealed the quality of e-learning was mainly derived from service quality, the teacher's active role in the process of online education, and the overall system quality, while the students' digital competencies and online interactions with their colleagues and teachers were considered to be slightly less important factors. The impact of e-learning quality on the students' performance was strongly mediated by their satisfaction with e-learning. In general, the model gave quite consistent results across countries, gender, study fields, and levels of study. The findings provide a basis for policy recommendations to support decision-makers incorporate e-learning issues in the current and any new similar circumstances.

Potenciamiento de la comunicación científica en base a sus latitudes y a los factores fundamentales de la virtud / Enhancing Scientific Communication through its Latitudes and the Fundamental Factors of Virtue

Resumen La virtud es una materia abordada desde diversas perspectivas, con inclusiones, exclusiones y repeticiones de características que le dan o anulan sentido a su esencia. Este artículo identifica los pilares que fundamentan su, analizando y contrastando diferentes aspectos encontrados en la literatura citada. Se proponen tres factores: hecho moral, carácter y voluntad, que se plantean y justifican como elementales y necesarios para que prevalezca como tal. A su vez, con base en dichos elementos de virtud, se detectaron tres latitudes: conocimiento y razón, acciones realizadas, e intencionalidad. El paralelismo entre estos factores de la virtud y latitudes de la comunicación científica puede expresarse de las siguientes maneras: (i) al factor de carácter le corresponde la latitud del conocimiento y la razón, ya que el conocimiento de la ciencia del investigador comprendería manejo de literatura, herramientas, técnicas y métodos; (ii) el hecho moral, como elemento de la virtud, da pie a la latitud de acciones realizadas en cultura científica, comprendiendo el acto investigativo en sí, el trabajo de campo, redacción de artículos y la búsqueda de espacios para la comunicación; y (iii) el elemento de la voluntad, que trae consigo la latitud de la intencionalidad, implica la inclinación e interés del investigador, ya sea motivada por su búsqueda de reconocimiento, logro personal o profesional y posibilita el logro de incentivos para continuar realizando la actividad científica.

Abstract Virtue is a subject addressed from different perspectives, with inclusions, exclusions and repetitions of characteristics that give or nullify meaning to its essence. This article identifies the pillars that support the existence of the same, analyzing and contrasting different aspects found in the cited literature. Three factors are proposed: moral fact, character and will, which are raised and justified as elementary and necessary to prevail as such. In turn, based on these elements of virtue, three latitudes were detected: knowledge and reason; actions done; and intentionality. The parallelism between these factors of virtue and latitudes of scientific communication can be expressed in the following ways: (i) the character factor corresponds to the latitude of knowledge and reason since the knowledge of the researcher's science would include handling of literature , tools, techniques and methods; (ii) the moral fact as an element of virtue, gives rise to the latitude of actions carried out in scientific culture, including the investigative act itself, the fieldwork, the writing of articles, and the search for spaces for communication; and (iii) the element of the will, which brings with it the latitude of intentionality, implies the inclination and interest of the researcher, whether motivated by his search for recognition, personal or professional achievement and enables the achievement of incentives to continue carrying out the scientific activity.