The Role of Instructor Digital Pedagogical Competence in Enhancing Learning Outcomes from Online Learning Platforms in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper discusses and analyzes how instructor digital pedagogical competence would improve online learning outcomes provided by institutions of higher learning. The study is centred on how instructors can plan online material, online interaction, and timely feedback, and combine pedagogically viable online strategies to enhance student engagement, eagerness, and scholastic success. The quantitative research design was used, which included a sample of 360 undergraduate and postgraduate students of online and blended courses in the private universities. The Likert scale questionnaire was used to gather data, and the results were analyzed by employing descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The results suggest that an instructor's digital pedagogical competence can positively influence student learning outcomes significantly, especially with respect to the conceptual knowledge, critical thinking, and learner satisfaction. Problems that were associated were inconsistent instructional design, inadequate instructor preparation, and unequal distribution of digital pedagogy adoption. The paper demonstrates the significance of enhancing digital pedagogical capabilities of instructors in an attempt to maximize the utility of online education environments in higher education.