BSIT STUDENTS READINESS: AN ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS' ENGAGEMENT IN ONLINE LEARNING AT NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SAN ISIDRO CAMPUS DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC

This study aimed to assess the readiness in online learning engagement of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a modified questionnaire by Akasland and Law (2010), which has five parts, namely the availability of technology, perception on the use of technology, self-confidence, acceptance, and home setup, researchers evaluated students' online learning readiness. Research data gathered from 473 BSIT students for the first semester A.Y. 2020-2021 of the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology San Isidro Campus revealed that the students, in general, are not ready for online learning; the majority or 463 of the respondents owned smartphones as their primary and available device for online learning activities. It was evident that I.T. students used mobile data packages and experienced having weak to average internet connectivity. These are contributing factors to why students struggle during online classes. Availability of a laptop computer is needed to cope with online learning fully. Albeit the findings showed that students exhibited familiarity with different online learning platforms and confidence to operate learning devices, mastery was still lacking. Moreover, students' learning space at home is not conducive, and they discerned that the traditional face-to-face classroom setting is more effective than online learning. The results provided valuable implications for ways to increase BSIT students' readiness for online learning.