Identifying and Prioritizing Factors Affecting the Quality of E-learning of Physical Education Students During the Outbreak of Covid-19 Pandemic

The growing demand for E-learning in higher education has made concerns about the quality of distance learning as one of the most important global issues. This is especially true during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, where E-learning was an important resource for continuing educational activities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the quality of E-learning of physical education students. The present research is applied in terms of purpose, was descriptive in terms of type and was a survey in terms of data collection method. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The face and content validity of the questionnaire assessed and confirm by instructors aware of the field of research and reliability through Cronbach's alpha test. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm the construct validity of the questionnaire. The statistical population of the study included undergraduate students of the University of Tehran majoring in Physical Education who passed their theoretical and practical courses virtually in the first semester of the 2020- 01 academic years. The sample size was estimated to be 248 based on Krejcie and Morgan Table. In order to analyze the data, one sample t test and Friedman test were used. Prioritization of indicators showed that among the five indicators of instructor’s characteristics, technical characteristics of the educational system, content, evaluation and feedback, student characteristics and support, instructor’s characteristics index is the most important indicator affecting quality of  theoretical and practical E-learning courses. This matter indicates that the need for special attention by educational administrators in selecting qualified instructors with skills and experience in the field of E-learning.