غلامعلی منتظر

The concept of distance learning has changed from a choice to a requirement and even a compulsion in educational systems around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Despite the challenges faced by this sudden change, in all countries, including Iran, learning institutions, whether general education or higher education, and even skill training institutions, had to turn to e-learning by using the existing educational platforms to keep their education flowing. In this paper, we tried to assess the readiness and capability levels of e-learning systems of the most experienced Iranian Open University, Payam-e-Noor University, during the COVID-19 epidemic. For this purpose, a questionnaire for evaluating the readiness level based on nine criteria and 45 measures and a questionnaire for examining their capability level based on eight criteria and 47 indices have been compiled and distributed among the educational centers of Payam-e-Noor University. Findings indicate that at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the e-learning readiness level of 31 participating centers was weak. In addition, after the crisis period, the e-learning capability level of 15 associated centers is above average. In conclusion, despite the growth of the university's status (from "weak" to "above average" during the two years of the disease epidemic), the educational system, the support system, and the research infrastructure criteria with the weak level score should be urgently paid attention by the planners and policymakers of higher education; As the same way, below average level criteria such as regulatory system, the supervisory system, and learning infrastructure should be on the agenda of rapid improvement and the quality of the administrative system criteria with above average level score should be on the agenda of gradual improvement.