Transition from emergency ICT-enabled education to blended education for future emergency preparedness and sustainability: a cross-sectional survey in Malaysia

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted teaching and learning in higher education globally. The purposes of this study are to identify the demographics and contextual challenges of emergency ICT-enabled education related to the future preferred mode of education of instructors and suggest a transition from emergency ICT-enabled education to blended education for future emergency preparedness and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative, cross-sectional and correlational study administered an online survey using a structured questionnaire to collect data from 162 respondents during the closure of Malaysian higher education institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Findings This study found that 56% of the respondents preferred blended education in the future. Multiple discriminant analysis generated characteristic profiles of respondents who preferred conventional face-to-face education, online education and blended education in the future in terms of their demographic characteristics and salient contextual challenges. Research limitations/implications This study is exploratory. The findings are not generalisable and the contextual challenges of emergency ICT-enabled education may evolve over time. Originality/value This study extends the existing literature by highlighting future preferred modes of education of instructors and suggests a resilience pedagogy of blended education for future emergency preparedness and sustainability.