Unveiling e-learning and knowledge sharing during the pandemic: From expert skills perception to student satisfaction

Abstract

The present undertaking seeks to explore the relationships between five main constructs, that is, e-learning, expert skills perception, knowledge perceived value, knowledge sharing and student satisfaction in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though there is a wide array of studies looking into the impact of the pandemic on the online teaching environment and on student satisfaction, this investigation is paving the way towards scrutinizing the role of expert knowledge in the overall equation. A questionnaire-based survey with 310 master students who participated to expert online lectures in various marketing and business administration classes in the context of the pandemic e-learning environment was carried out between March 2020 and May 2022. The results indicated that Expert Skills Perception explains 58.8% of the variance of Knowledge Perceived Value, while Knowledge Perceived Value and e-Learning Process explain 45.2% of the variance in Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Sharing and e-Learning Process explain 65.6% of the variance in Student Satisfaction, defining a strong predicting power of the structural model. By addressing students' perceptions of the online education process which relies on expert knowledge sharing is liable to offer a reference point for conducting and enhancing similar endeavors even in the post-pandemic ‘new normal’.