Making it normal for ‘new’ enrolments: Effect of institutional and pandemic inuence on selecting an Engineering Institution under Covid-19 pandemic situation
Description
Covid-19 pandemic has enforced Indian engineering institutions (EIs) to bring their previously half-shut shades completely down. Fetching new admissions into EI campus during pandemic it has become ‘now or never’ situation for EIs. During crises situation institutions have struggled to come back on the normal track. The pandemic that has changed students’ behavior and family’s preferences drastically due to mental stress and emotional life attached with it. Consequently, it becomes prerequisite, and emergency need to examine the choice characteristics influencing selection of EI during Covid-19 pandemic situation. The purpose of this study is to critically examine institutional influence and pandemic influence due to Covid-19 that affects students’ choice about an engineering institution (EI) and consequently to explore relationships between institutional and pandemic influence. The findings of this quantitative research, conducted through a self-reported survey have revealed that institutional as well as pandemic influence have governed the EI choice under Covid-19 pandemic. Secondly, pandemic influence is positively affected by institutional influence. The study demonstrated that EIs will have to reposition themselves to normalize pandemic influence by tuning institutional characteristics that regulates situational influence and new enrollments. It can be yardstick for policy makers to attract new enrollments under pandemic situation.