Fanāvarī-i āmūzish (Dec 2021)
Investigating the effects of quality factors on the benefits of e-learning with the mediating role of perceived satisfaction and perceived usefulness
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of quality factors on the success of e-learning systems. This research is based on the EESS model with applying the changes obtained from previous studies and includes various qualitative components such as technical system quality, information quality, educational system quality, service quality, support system quality, learner quality, instructor quality, and content quality. In this study, the effects of these eight qualitative factors on "perceived usefulness" and "perceived satisfaction" as well as the effects of "perceived usefulness" on "perceived satisfaction" have been investigated.Methods: The statistical population includes 270 graduate students of information technology management who were studying in the second semester of the academic year 2020-2021 at two universities and were using a learning management system (LMS) with almost similar characteristics. 152 valid questionnaires have been collected. The five Likert scale questionnaire, including 3 general questions and 51 questions related to model variables, was used to collect data. The analysis of research hypotheses was performed using the PLS technique and Smart PLS 3 was applied to administer the tests and examine the hypotheses.Findings: The results of the analysis show that technical quality, learner quality and content quality affect the perceived satisfaction of the e-learning system. Information quality, service quality, educational system quality, support system quality and instructor quality do not affect the perceived satisfaction of the e-learning system. Information quality, learner quality, instructor quality and content quality affect the perceived usefulness of the e-learning system. Technical quality, service quality, educational system quality, and support factors quality do not affect the perceived usefulness. The perceived usefulness significantly affects the perceived satisfaction and also the perceived usefulness and the perceived satisfaction significantly affect the benefits of using the e-learning system.Conclusions: The results of this study empirically confirm the results of other studies on the effect of quality on the success of e-learning systems and show that different qualitative factors affect the benefits of the learners by influencing the "perceived satisfaction" and the "perceived usefulness" and, as a result, they will lead to the success of e-learning systems. The results of statistical analysis show that increasing the quality of the e-learning system can provide the benefits of the learners such as increasing knowledge and academic success, improving the learning process, effective communication with other students and instructors, as well as saving time and money. The research results show the importance of the quality of the learner, the instructor and the content in the success of the e-learning system and this issue shows the importance of education in increasing the technical ability to use the system and examine the methods to increase enthusiasm and encourage the learners and the instructors to use the system as well as adjust the provided course content as much as possible with the level of knowledge and needs of the learners. In addition, increasing the information quality including the existence and availability of the required information, the ease of use, the up-to-dateness and clarity of the information and its presentation method (pens, images, etc.) are greatly effective on the success of the e-learning system. Conducting appropriate research in a statistical population with a different field of study can provide more accurate information about the relationship between the field of study and the success of the e-learning system. In case of finding any differences in the results, the future studies can examine the extent to which customized systems are needed for different fields of study.
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