The Barriers to Effective Remote Education, Including Access to Technology, Student Engagement and Teacher Preparedness

This study focuses on barriers and facilitators in distance education in higher education institutions with regard to access to technology, student engagement, and teacher preparedness. The research study was conducted with a quantitative method to collect data. The self-administered questionnaire was administered to 258 students and 70 faculty members from several universities and colleges from Punjab, Pakistan, selected from the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, BZU University, Emerson College University, and the Women University Multan. The participants were selected using snowball sampling. The data was analyzed using correlation, regression, and post-hoc statistical techniques aided by the SPSS software. The research findings showed that access to technology is significantly related to student engagement, teacher preparedness, as well as impact of student engagement on academic performance and learning satisfaction. The regression analysis further confirmed that higher student engagement levels are linked with better learning outcomes. Additional post-hoc tests confirmed that teacher preparedness significantly influences student engagement. Findings suggest that access to technology and training in its application are essential for enhancing the quality of remote education. It means that improvement needs are noted in policy change concerning equable access to technology and additional investments in developing teachers in online environments.