Approaches and perspectives for online learning during the COVID‑19 pandemic and future chaos

Online learning (OLL) methodology has been incorporated in higher education extensively on the mount over the last few decades and with the onset of COVID‑19 situation, the virtual method in academia became essential. After observing worldly destructions and death due to coronavirus, the WHO declared a high alert emergency, and since Pakistan started to follow lockdown since March 2020 to prevent high penetration and consequently, the online teaching method was adapted to keep the learning atmosphere alive. The study is aimed to identify the influencing factors and compliance for the implementation of the OLL system in COVID‑19 and, in the future, nonpandemic state as well.

The present study is designed to observe the adaptability and hurdles among pharmacy students, and for the purpose of the study, a questionnaire on the Likert scale was developed and asked to respond from pharmacy undergraduate and postgraduate students after taking consensus, which further analyzed through IBM SPSS Statistics Version 26.

The outcomes of the study were analyzed with a high level of conformity; however, the gender‑based reservations were observed, and moreover, merits of OLL were observed with high jeopardy.

The adaptation of OLL, though proved as the only troubleshooter in an uncontrollable situation and enabled universities, professors, and students for patience, resilience, and hopefully, will serve as swift safeguard for future challenges of epidemic and pandemic disasters. According to the evolution theory, brain adaptability and plasticity of human organisms grow the capacity to adjust itself with an advanced characteristic.