Examining the dimensions of the virtual approach to the development of fourth generation universities

The purpose of this study was to “investigate the dimensions of the virtual approach to the development of fourth-generation universities”. The present research was carried out with an applied purpose using  a mixed approach in which  an exploratory design was used. In the qualitative section, the sample size included twelve members of the faculty that were selected using Purposive sampling considering saturation law, and in the quantitative section, 255 faculty members including assistant professors from universities in Mazandaran province were selected as the sample size using the Cochran formula and Multi-stage cluster random sampling as well as relative proportional classification. The data collection tools in the qualitative section were semi-structured interviews, and in the quantitative section, a researcher-made questionnaire was used. The formal and content validity of the tools were confirmed by experts. To verify the construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis was used and the average variance of the extracted variables was used to examine the convergent validity. In order to analyze the data in the descriptive statistics section, The frequency distribution tables, charts and inferential statistics, exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used. Data was analyzed using SPSS and LISREL software. The results showed that the virtual infrastructure approach, with impact coefficient  of (β = 0.93), had a direct and strong effect on the capacity-based learning. In other words, with the increasing utility of virtual infrastructure approach, The development of fourth generation universities (Capacity-Based Universities) wouldbe improved with strong intensity.