What drives a successful e-Learning? An empirical investigation of the critical factors influencing learner satisfaction

E-learning is emerging as the new paradigm of modern education. Worldwide, the e-learning market has a growth rate of 35.6%, but failures exist. Little is known about why many users stop their online learning after their initial experience. Previous research done under different task environments has suggested a variety of factors affecting user satisfaction with e-Learning. This study developed an integrated model with six dimensions: learners, instructors, courses, technology, design, and environment. A survey was conducted to investigate the critical factors affecting learners’ satisfaction in e-Learning. The results revealed that learner computer anxiety, instructor attitude toward e-Learning, e-Learning course flexibility, e-Learning course quality, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and diversity in assessments are the critical factors affecting learners’ perceived satisfaction. The results show institutions how to improve learner satisfaction and further strengthen their e-Learning implementation.     

Developing inclusive e-learning systems

The requirement for e-inclusion relates to the employment of appropriate development strategies for software applications and services so as to accomplish accessibility and increased interaction quality at deployment time. Inclusive e-learning is the outcome from the application of e-inclusion design and implementation methods in the context of e-learning systems. This paper reports consolidated development experience from the construction of the following e-learning systems: (a) training applications for hand-motor impaired users and for people with cognitive disabilities; (b) learner-adapted courseware and (c) a universally accessible educational computer game. In this context, the primary emphasis is placed on the reporting of the design and implementation aspects to accommodate the inclusive system characteristics, rather than on the typical e-learning software engineering approaches.     

Clarifying the empirical connection of new entrants’ e-learning systems use to their job adaptation and their use patterns under the collective-individual training environment

In recent years, with the development of e-learning, it is feasible for enterprises to adopt information systems to enhance organizations’ human capital and knowledge renewal for competition. e-Learning systems designed for new entrants training aim to facilitate new entrants’ job adaptation; however, the empirical link between their system use and job adaptation lacks. In addition, the influence of environmental variables on new entrants’ e-learning training still needs clarification. Thus, based on the theoretical framework of the IS (information system) success model, this study is motivated to make an empirical connection of new entrants’ e-learning systems use to their job adaptation, including organizational socialization and overall job-adaptation outcome, and also to clarify their system use patterns under different collective-individual socialization training environments. Data from one hundred and eighty-six valid respondents who entered their organizations within a year were gathered and analyzed with PLS (partial least square). The results suggested the valid connection of new entrants’ e-learning systems use to their organizational socialization and overall job-adaptation outcome. New entrants also presented partially different system use patterns for adaptation under the different human interaction environments. The findings facilitated the design of training programs for new entrants at the e-learning environment.     

E-Learning Courseware Usability: Building a Theoretical Model

Based on a stream of research, this study identified four components of the e-learning courseware usability: fundamental, appearance, information presentation, and communication. The communication component was considered an expanded component of the e-learning courseware usability. A theoretical model was built and three hypotheses were developed to examine whether the communication component as an expanded component of the e-learning courseware usability significantly and positively contributed to the three components of the e-learning courseware usability (fundamental, appearance, and information presentation). An instrument was developed and administered to subjects taking various e-learning courses. The collected data were analyzed using a variance-based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) package that uses Partial Least Square (PLS). Analyses of the results indicated a strong validated model supporting all stated hypotheses.     

Linking employees’ e-learning system use to their overall job outcomes: An empirical study based on the IS success model

e-Learning systems are increasingly being adopted by modern enterprises, because of their cost-down effect. However, the extant literature provides little insight into their beneficial consequences. It is expected that a transfer of acquired knowledge, skills and/or work attitudes to jobs will occur through e-learning systems use. This makes e-learning systems a useful tool for improving job outcomes, although this is not well documented. The IS success model, which captures both the human and technological elements of information systems, provides a theoretical basis for linking system use to system task. The current study then examines the relation between e-learning systems use and overall job outcomes based on the model. The data collected from one hundred and ninety-three e-learning system users were analyzed with partial least square (PLS). The results indicate that e-learning systems are perceived as useful and satisfying by employees, and employees’ e-learning systems use is significantly associated with overall job outcomes. In practice, these results provide a basis for establishing a link between an organization’s investment in e-learning and human capital management. They also lend empirical support to the IS success model.     

Linking employees’ e-learning system use to their overall job outcomes: An empirical study based on the IS success model

e-Learning systems are increasingly being adopted by modern enterprises, because of their cost-down effect. However, the extant literature provides little insight into their beneficial consequences. It is expected that a transfer of acquired knowledge, skills and/or work attitudes to jobs will occur through e-learning systems use. This makes e-learning systems a useful tool for improving job outcomes, although this is not well documented. The IS success model, which captures both the human and technological elements of information systems, provides a theoretical basis for linking system use to system task. The current study then examines the relation between e-learning systems use and overall job outcomes based on the model. The data collected from one hundred and ninety-three e-learning system users were analyzed with partial least square (PLS). The results indicate that e-learning systems are perceived as useful and satisfying by employees, and employees’ e-learning systems use is significantly associated with overall job outcomes. In practice, these results provide a basis for establishing a link between an organization’s investment in e-learning and human capital management. They also lend empirical support to the IS success model.     

The role of perceived user-interface design in continued usage intention of self-paced e-learning tools

While past studies on user-interface design focused on a particular system or application using the experimental approach, we propose a theoretical model to assess the impact of perceived user-interface design (PUID) on continued usage intention (CUI) of self-paced e-learning tools in general. We argue that the impact of PUID is mediated by two variables, namely perceived functionality (PF) and perceived system support (PSS), which influence perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU), respectively. We empirically validated the model using data collected from a survey administered to university students in Hong Kong. We found that most hypotheses are valid and PUID is an important antecedent of CUI of a self-paced e-learning tool. We also showed that PU and user satisfaction (USat) are two essential predictors of CUI. However, the impact of PEOU on CUI is indirect via PU as a mediator. Our findings enrich the theory on the continued usage of technology, and provide e-learning developers with managerial insights on how to entice learners to continue using their e-learning tools.     

Personalized web-based tutoring system based on fuzzy item response theory

With the rapid growth of computer and Internet technologies, e-learning has become a major trend in the computer assisted teaching and learning field. Previously, many researchers put effort into e-learning systems with personalized learning mechanism to aid on-line learning. However, most systems focus on using learner’s behaviors, interests, and habits to provide personalized e-learning services. These systems commonly neglect to consider if learner ability and the difficulty level of the recommended courseware are matched to each other. Frequently, unsuitable courseware causes learner’s cognitive overload or disorientation during learning. To promote learning effectiveness, our previous study proposed a personalized e-learning system based on Item response theory (PEL-IRT), which can consider both course material difficulty and learner ability evaluated by learner’s crisp feedback responses (i.e. completely understanding or not understanding answer) to provide personalized learning paths for individual learners. The PEL-IRT cannot estimate learner ability for personalized learning services according to learner’s non-crisp responses (i.e. uncertain/fuzzy responses). The main problem is that learner’s response is not usually belonging to completely understanding or not understanding case for the content of learned courseware. Therefore, this study developed a personalized intelligent tutoring system based on the proposed fuzzy item response theory (FIRT), which could be capable of recommending courseware with suitable difficulty levels for learners according to learner’s uncertain/fuzzy feedback responses. The proposed FIRT can correctly estimate learner ability via the fuzzy inference mechanism and revise estimating function of learner ability while the learner responds to the difficulty level and comprehension percentage for the learned courseware. Moreover, a courseware modeling process developed in this study is based on a statistical technique to establish the difficulty parameters of courseware for the proposed personalized intelligent tutoring system. Experiment results indicate that applying the proposed FIRT to web-based learning can provide better learning services for individual learners than our previous study, thus helping learners to learn more effectively.     

基于概念图的网络课件与资源库集成

网络课件和资源库已成为远程教育中重要的学习资源,但它们是异构的和相互独立的。文章〖BP）〗利用概念图进行网络课件与资源库的同构化,提出了“资源库-概念图-网络课件”模型,并结合该模型,研究网络课件和资源库的集成,以充分发挥两者的优势,提高学生使用资源的学习效率。     

基于XML的计算机网络课件系统的开发

网络教育是利用计算机和网络技术,协助时空分离的教师和学生共同完成教学活动的一种新型教育形式,是e-Learning发展的趋势.基于XML的计算机网络课件系统的开发,采用XML根据IMS＼CELTS规范描述课件素材资源,实现教育信息数据结构的标准化,从而实现了课件素材资源的规范化,为课件素材资源的交换、存储、检索提供了保障.     

Assessing e-learning 2.0 system success

Traditional e-learning systems support “one-way” communication. Teachers provide knowledge for learners, but they are unable to use a student’s learning experiences to benefit the class as a whole. To address these problems, this study explores e-learning success factors via the design and evaluation of an e-learning 2.0 system. This study develops a theoretical model to assess user satisfaction and loyalty intentions to an e-learning system using communication quality, information quality, system quality, and service quality. The empirical results show that communication quality, information quality, and service quality significantly and positively affect user satisfaction and loyalty intentions to use the e-learning system for sharing experience, communicating with others, and getting feedback.     

MCAI项目开发的关键技术

本文详细阐述了开发 MCAI项目中实用的关键技术 ,并介绍了使用Authorware开发《计算机组成原理》课件中的几个问题及其解决方案     

A hybrid approach to develop an analytical model for enhancing the service quality of e-learning

The digital content industry is flourishing as a result of the rapid development of technology and the widespread use of computer networks. As has been reported, the market size of the global e-learning (i.e., distance education and telelearning) will reach USD 49.6 billion in 2014. However, to retain and/or increase the market share associated with e-learning, it is important to maintain or increase service quality in this sector. This research was intended to develop an analytical model for enhancing the service quality of e-learning using a hybrid approach from the perspective of customers. The evaluation methodology integrates the three methods: rough set theory (RST), quality function deployment (QFD), and grey relational analysis (GRA). First, important criteria affecting service quality (referred to as customer requirements (CRs)) and relevant technical information (referred to as technical requirements (TRs)) for e-learning are compiled from an extensive literature review. Using the data regarding customer satisfaction collected from a questionnaire survey, RST is then used to reduce the number of attributes considered and to determine the CRs. Furthermore, in consultation with domain experts, QFD is used together with GRA to analyze the interrelationships between CRs (which represent the voice of customer (VOC)) and TRs (which represent the voice of the engineer (VOE)) and to create an order of priority for the TRs given the CRs based on objective weighting using the entropy value. An illustrative example is provided—an empirical analysis of the students who participated in the e-learning program at a particular university. The results reveal that of the fourteen TRs, “Curriculum development” has the greatest effect on e-learning service quality, followed by “Evaluation”, “Guidance and tracing”, “Instructional design”, and “Teaching materials”. Both the CRs and the TRs may vary depending on the individual organization. Nevertheless, the proposed model can be a useful point of reference for e-learning service providers, helping them to identify the TRs that they can use to enhance service quality and to target vital CRs.     

e-Learning系统支撑平台的实现

简要地介绍了e-Learning技术标准,分析了现有支撑平台,根据实际开发经验,提出了基于B/S结构的e-Learning课件教学支撑平台实现的思想方法和整体架构,系统采用了Java语言实施程序编码开发,综合多种数据库技术,开发的课件具有交互性跨平台可移植的特点。     

What can Studies of e-Learning Teach us about Collaboration in e-Research? Some Findings from Digital Library Studies

e-Research is intended to facilitate collaboration through distributed access to content, tools, and services. Lessons about collaboration are extracted from the findings of two large, long-term digital library research projects. Both the Alexandria Digital Earth Prototype Project (ADEPT) and the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS) project on data management leverage scientific research data for use in teaching. Two forms of collaboration were studied: (1) direct, in which faculty work together on research projects; and (2) indirect or serial, in which faculty use or contribute content to a common pool, such as teaching resources, concepts and relationships, or research data. Five aspects of collaboration in e-Research are discussed: (1) disciplinary factors, (2) incentives to adopt e-Learning and e-Research technologies, (3) user roles, (4) information sharing, and (5) technical requirements. Collaboration varied by research domain in both projects, and appears partly to be a function of the degree of instrumentation in data collection. Faculty members were more interested in tools to manage their own research data than in tools to facilitate teaching. They also were more reflective about their research than teaching activities. The availability of more content, tools, and services to incorporate primary data in teaching was only a minimal incentive to use these resources. Large investments in a knowledge base of scientific concepts and relationships for teaching did not result in re-use by other faculty during the course of the project. Metadata requirements for research and for teaching vary greatly, which further complicates the transfer of resources across applications. Personal digital libraries offer a middle ground between private control and public release of content, which is a promising direction for the design of digital libraries that will facilitate collaboration in e-Research.     

Enhancing e-learning effectiveness using an intelligent agent-supported personalized virtual learning environment: An empirical investigation

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) developed under constructivism and embedded personalization learning functions have the potential to meet different requirements of different learners and thus increase e-Learning effectiveness. We formulated internal personalized learning mechanisms by implementing intelligent agents in a VLE under a constructivist learning model and further developed an e-learning effectiveness framework by integrating educational and IS theories. An empirical field experiment involving 228 university students was conducted. The findings suggested that personalized e-learning facilities enhance online learning effectiveness in terms of examination, satisfaction, and self-efficacy criteria.     

Adapting the Technology Acceptance Model to evaluate the innovative potential of e-learning systems

This paper describes an experience where the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been adapted for use in the evaluation of methodological and technological innovations determined by the introduction of a new e-learning system in an Italian online university. While the original TAM allows one to assess acceptance and adoption of a new technology, in this case there was also a need to consider all the phases of use of the system (course design, running and evaluation), all the users of the system (students, teachers and e-learning management), and all the system’s components (the e-learning platform, the learning resources and mostly the underlying pedagogical approach). The resulting model, which is an extension of the original TAM, is a three-dimensional one, with three aspects to be considered on each axis (phases of use, users and components). For each of the 27 combinations of these aspects, indicators of usefulness and ease-of-use have been identified. When available, data concerning actual use (derived from the tracking functions of the platform) and effectiveness (based on teachers’ adoption of new tools and students’ learning outcomes) have also been used to complement the data.     

Quality enhancement for e-learning courses: The role of student feedback

The collection of student feedback is seen as a central strategy to monitor the quality and standards of teaching and learning in higher education institutions. The increasing use of technology to support face-to-face, blended and distance courses has led managers as well as practitioners to become increasingly concerned to identify appropriate ways of assuring the quality of this e-learning provision. This paper presents a study of the collection of student feedback in higher education e-learning courses and the use of this feedback for quality assurance and enhancement. We carried out a series of case studies of the procedures in place in four e-learning courses, and in each case study we collected the quality assurance documentation and interviewed stakeholders (administrators, educational technologists, tutors and students). The comparative examination of these two sets of data showed that the main strategies for collecting student feedback – module evaluations and student representation – were both strongly affected by the distinctive features of the mode of delivery in e-learning courses, and as a consequence they were not able to adequately support quality enhancement. The remote location of the students impacted on both student representation and on the response rates for module evaluations. The enhancement function of the module evaluations were adversely affected by lack of appropriate course management arising from the disaggregation of course processes and the resulting ambiguity in the allocation of responsibilities.     

An investigation into the effects that digital media can have on the learning outcomes of individuals who have dyslexia

The effects that media can have on task performance have been greatly debated over the years. Whilst agreement has begun to emerge on the effects media have on cognitive performance, little is understood about the relationship between such media effects and individual differences such as individuals who have dyslexia. This paper presents findings from a study that investigated the effects computer-based media can have on the learning outcomes of individuals who have dyslexia. The purpose of the study was to obtain data that informed the development and design of e-learning and distance learning materials for universal use. The research process was based on Dual Coding Theory and refined by current theories on dyslexia. Findings from the research are intended to help academics and providers of e-learning materials to improve the design and delivery of their learning contents.