A constantly improving model for universities readiness in the application of e-learning practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative approach

The sudden outbreak of a lethal virus known as the COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted e-learning systems worldwide. That forced instructors and faculty members around the world to try the existing instructional platforms in an attempt to shift toward an effective unprecedented learning system. The present study concentrated on enhancing a specific e-learning system experienced for the first time at the University of Tehran (UT) that faced several difficulties in the development process due to the lack of required readiness in diverse aspects. As a phenomenological approach bordered with a descriptive-interpretive framework, the study targets a group of 2000 faculty members at 35 diverse departments of the UT. Data have gathered from 603 faculty members using voice calls, video calls, and emails and then analyzed and diverged into four fundamental segments: sociocultural readiness, pedagogical readiness, organizational readiness, and technological readiness (SCPOT-R). Our findings indicated some remarkable results that underline the significance and high priority of virtual and electronic learning methods since the expansion of COVID-19 and following physical restrictions.