GENERAL SYSTEMS THEORY: MUTUAL CAUSALITY AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF UNIVERSITY E-LEARNING IN LEBANON DURING A PANDEMIC

Abstract

This study contains a literature review on how the concept of general systems theory has evolved throughout history and has led to a concept called mutual causality. From this, a case study on the effectiveness of e-learning at universities in Lebanon during a pandemic was done and the effectiveness was shown through a causal loop diagram which describes what is occurring in a system. Positive and negative feedback loops have been formulated to show the causality among variables, be it internal variables from within the education system or variables from the external environment. The study also formulated a thematic framework of the different elements of causality, some of which include: the pandemic, the financial and political distress, motivation, technology, stress, fatigue, unsatisfactory salaries, increase in the cost of living, and interruptions and distractions.