Virtual learning environment factors as predictors of students' learning satisfaction during COVID-19 period in Nigeria

Purpose: The onus of this study was to find out the role played by virtual learning environment factors on students' satisfaction during the COVID-19 period in Nigeria. A survey was carried out on students in higher education institutions in Nigeria to actualize this purpose. Design/methodology/approach: Simple random sampling techniques with the aid of Krejcie and Morgan's (1970) sample determinant and the Snowball sampling technique were adopted to sample 270 students in higher education institutions in Nigeria. An adapted questionnaire was used. Cronbach alpha coefficients were calculated for the two sections of the independent and dependent variables. Virtual learning environment factors yielded 0.89, while students' satisfaction yielded 0.87. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product–moment correlation, two-way ANOVA and linear regression analysis. Findings: The results of the ANOVA, F (df 4, 265) = 50.905, p < 0.000, indicate a statistically significant relationship (stronger than 0.05) between the independent variables (virtual learning environment factors) and the dependent variable (students' satisfaction). It was found among others that instructors' support and collaboration factors predicted students' satisfaction with virtual learning experiences during the COVID-19 period. Originality/value: Virtual learning during COVID-19 caught both lecturers and students unprepared. Most developing countries especially Africans were used to the traditional face-to-face learning, more so, the use of virtual means to learn was still at a nascent stage. This study, therefore, contributed to the role of the learning environment in virtual learning satisfaction. © 2022, Sulaimon Adewale and Muyideen Babatunde Tahir.