THE EFFECT OF DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS AND LEARNING MOTIVATION ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DISTANCE LEARNING (A PERCEPTION-BASED STUDY OF STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITAS TERBUKA)

Abstract

The digital transformation in higher education has established distance learning as a primary model in open institutions such as Universitas Terbuka. However, its implementation still faces various challenges, particularly due to differences in individuals' abilities to access and utilize technology, as well as in maintaining self-directed learning motivation. While most previous studies have focused on technical and infrastructural aspects, research examining internal student factors, such as digital literacy and learning motivation, remains limited and rarely explored in an integrated and comprehensive manner. This study aims to analyze the effect of digital literacy and learning motivation on the effectiveness of distance learning, based on the perceptions of students at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Terbuka. A quantitative approach was employed using a descriptive-verificative method, with data collected through questionnaires and analyzed using multiple linear regression with STATA application. The findings indicate that both digital literacy and learning motivation have a positive and significant effect on the effectiveness of distance learning, with learning motivation contributing more dominantly. These results highlight the importance of developing digital competencies in balance with strengthening psychological factors to ensure distance learning can be more effective and sustainable in open higher education environments.