Assessing E-Learning Satisfaction: University Teachers' Perspectives

Online education has automatically acquired a prime position in the education system as a new paradigm in the context of the present COVID pandemic.  The efficacy of online education is determined by user satisfaction, which eventually increases users' intentions to continue with online education. This study involves assessing University lecturers’ satisfaction towards the e-learning system as a mode of lecturing. An online questionnaire survey was conducted using a convenience sampling technique and 200 questionnaires were distributed among academics in all National Universities in Sri Lanka. One hundred twenty-eight (128) responses were collected within one week (response rate about 64%). The analysis explored descriptive statistics and variance-based structural equation modelling in Smart PLS. The findings revealed that the satisfaction of academics for e-teaching activities is positive and above average in terms of perceived usefulness, confirmation, task technology fit, system quality, information quality, and training dimensions. Finally, 88% of respondents have agreed with blended teaching methods in the future while recommending strategies for integrating a considerable array of technologies' capabilities in higher education institutions. The paper contributes to existing knowledge by considering the majority of factors and their impact on e-learning satisfaction. Also, it deliberates the issues and challenges academics face about e-learning mode and their future blended teaching recommendations.  KEYWORDS:    E-learning satisfaction, blended-teaching, challenges in e-learning, university academic staff, COVID 19 pandemic &nbsp

The Role of e-Tutor Competencies in Postgraduate e-Learning Courses: Spotlight on Emotion Management

[EN] The role of e-learning in the existing and challenging educational era is crucial. However, it is necessary to overcome some drawbacks such as feelings of isolation and a lack of emotional contact. In this sense, emotion management is a key driver of student satisfaction in e-learning, which is significantly related to students' motivation, learning, cognitive strategies, self-regulation, and personality antecedents in the classroom. This article examines an online postgraduate course in financial statements auditing, describing the resources used by the e-tutor to conduct affective tutorials, reduce students' feelings of isolation, increase student involvement, and achieve success in e-learning. The results of a survey administered to 125 students over the period 2015 to 2020 indicate that students who receive emotional support have higher levels of satisfaction with the course in terms of all satisfaction indicators. In addition, female e-learning students are more satisfied with intensive e-tutor monitoring overall but are less gratified by non-face-to-face e-tools. Our study responds to the calls in the 2021-2027 Digital Education Action Plan to improve and reset education and training for the digital ageBustos-Contell, E.; Porcuna-Enguix, L.; Serrano-Madrid, J.; Labatut-Serer, G. (2021). The Role of e-Tutor Competencies in Postgraduate e-Learning Courses: Spotlight on Emotion Management. Sustainability. 13(17):1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179716S113131

Development of an intelligent approach for delivering high performing training solutions

Predictive modelling is a state-of-the-art technique for which an objective variable is predicted given a set of environmental parameters. Many types of models exist and most of them can be built with different architectures. This project comes from the necessity to improve the measurement of biometric indicators and understand how team performance can affect their level in a defence training context. The biometric indicators of interest are the player’s heart rate and stress index, which are going to be related to information extracted from the GPS coordinates they have. The objective has been to study the evolution of the stress index during an exercise period, trying to determine how the other biometrical and positional factors influence its level. After reviewing existing work in the medical field for stress monitoring and team performance in an educational context, it has been observed that no literature involved both topics relating them to each other, let alone in a defence environment. A list of quality indicators has been defined to assess the quality of the provided raw datasets, the information from which has been managed to build a single dataset that could be used to train a model. The results of the quality assessment have shown that the recording frequency for the different indicators should be modified to a common value since the existing time difference between recordings has proven to be a complex issue to solve when building the model. Regression, neural network, and random forest models have been tested, with the latter being the one offering the best precision. The heart rate, the duration of the exercise, and the distance from the player to the opposite team were the variables that played a major role in the prediction. Overall, a valid prediction has been reached despite the missing gaps in the provided datasets. The key features to predict the stress index have been identified and recommendations in terms of data quality have been made so the predictions can be improve

The Dark Side of Mobile Learning via Social Media: How Bad Can It Get?

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread at an unprecedented rate, many universities around the world halted physical forms of teaching and learning to stop the spread of the virus. As a result, many university students were forced to utilize online learning through channels such as mobile social media. Due to the novelty of this situation, there are many unknowns particularly with the negative influences of mobile learning via social media on university students. Thus, this study looks to examine this subject matter from the perspective of the stimulus–organism–response theory. The uniquely developed research model included four stimuli (i.e., social overload, information overload, life invasion, and privacy invasion), two organisms (i.e., technostress and exhaustion) as well as a response in terms of reduced intention to use mobile learning via social media. The responses were collected from 384 university students via an online survey and analyzed with the Partial-Least-Square-Structural-Equation-Modelling. It was found that the antecedents for both technostress and exhaustion were able to account for more than half of their respective variances. Furthermore, technostress and exhaustion were significant facilitators of the students’ reduced intention to use mobile learning via social media. In addition to the practical insights for stakeholders in the education industry, this study also posited several theoretical implications for researchers

Critical success factors and challenges for individual digital study assistants in higher education: A mixed methods analysis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of online higher education programs and tools has grown rapidly. One example is an individual digital study assistant (IDSA) for students, which provides functionalities to train self-regulation skills, to engage with own educational goals and to offer automated, first-level support to higher education institution (HEI) units and employees. An IDSA further can guide students through HEI and their administration. But, what are the critical success factors (CSF) and challenges for an IDSA? We deduce these using a mixed methods approach with one quantitative student survey, two rounds of interviews with various HEI experts, and a literature review. We classified our results according to the information system (IS) success model of DeLone & McLean (2016). Our results and findings show, e.g., that skilled and reliable HEI personnel, well-organized and useful content, cross-platform usability, ease of use, and students’ social factors are essential. Attractive IDSA functionalities are a major challenge because students use many apps, daily. Based on our CSF and challenges, we deduce theoretical and practical recommendations and develop a further research agenda

Development guidelines for individual digital study assistants in higher education

Increasing student numbers, heterogeneity and individual biographies lead to a growing need for personalized support. To meet these challenges, an Individual Digital Study Assistant (IDSA) provides features to help students improve their self-regulation and organizational skills to achieve individual study goals. Based on qualitative expert interviews, a quantitative student survey, and current literature we derived requirements for an IDSA. Based on them, we designed, developed, and implemented a first IDSA prototype for higher education institutions (HEI). We continuously evaluated the prototype within different workshops and analyzed the usage data to improve it further in three enhanced prototypes. Based on this iterative process, we derived guidelines for an IDSA design and development. Accordingly, the framework, project management, content, team selection, team development, team communication, marketing, and student habits are important to consider. The guidelines advance the knowledge base of IDSA in HEI and guide and support practitioners in the design, development, and implementation of IDSA in HEI

Calidad en e-Learning: Identificación de sus dimensiones, propuesta y validación de un modelo para su evaluación en Educación Superior

Quality assessment in higher education institutions is a non-standardised process and it depends on each university. The digitalisation of teaching and the situations, which have occurred in recent times, have led to a notable increase in the interest and relevance of e-Learning in both the teaching as well as the learning processes, with quality also being understood as a fundamental element in its evaluation and improvement.This research proposes the identification of the dimensions related to the e-Learning quality, noting the need of a new evaluative framework according to the analysis of the literature and, also, generating a new model. After its construction, this study focused on the validation of its content by four expert judges in the quality evaluation and e-Learning fields. This validation process included the development of a tool for the evaluation of its dimensions and items, as well as a presentation of the model. On the other hand, both a qualitative evaluation (content analysis and suggestions) as well as a quantitative evaluation (analysed through descriptive statistics and the CVC calculation) were carried out for evaluating the outcomes. This validation showed a high level of acceptance and conformity of the judges with the model, the dimensions and the proposed items.Based on this validation, the final model was developed consisting of four main dimensions, 14 sub-dimensions and a total of 80 indicators that attempt to assess each relevant quality factor in e-Learning. Limitations and future avenues of research derived from the proposal are presented in the final conclusions.La evaluación de la calidad en instituciones de Educación Superior es un proceso no estandarizado y dependiente de cada institución universitaria. La digitalización de la docencia y las situaciones acontecidas en los últimos tiempos han provocado un aumento notable en el interés y la relevancia del e-Learning en los procesos de enseñanza/aprendizaje; entendiendo también la calidad como un elemento fundamental en su evaluación y mejora.Esta investigación propone la identificación de las dimensiones relativas a la calidad del e-Learning, denotando la necesidad de un nuevo marco evaluativo tras el análisis de la literatura y generando un nuevo modelo. Tras su construcción, el estudio se centró en la validación de su contenido por cuatro jueces expertos en materia de evaluación de la calidad y de e-Learning. Este proceso de validación incluyó la elaboración de una herramienta para la evaluación de dimensiones e ítems y una presentación del modelo. Por otro lado, para la evaluación de resultados se realizó una evaluación cualitativa (análisis de contenidos y sugerencias) y una evaluación cuantitativa (analizada mediante estadísticos descriptivos y el cálculo del CVC). Esta validación mostró un alto nivel de aceptación y conformidad de los jueces con el modelo, las dimensiones y los ítems propuestos.Partiendo de esta validación se elaboró el modelo definitivo que consta de cuatro dimensiones principales, 14 subdimensiones y un total de 80 indicadores que tratan de evaluar cada factor de calidad relevante en e-Learning. Las limitaciones y futuras vías de investigación derivadas de la propuesta se presentan en las conclusiones finales

Perceived satisfaction towards emergency remote teaching amidst Covid-19 crisis: a case among undergraduate students in Penang, Malaysia

The current pandemic has triggered emergency remote teaching (ERT) to be implemented by higher education institutions globally. This unprecedented circumstance caused serious dissonance between students' learning experience and overall satisfaction. Hence, this research aims to determine the factors influencing their satisfaction with ERT implemented by higher learning institutions in Penang, especially among undergraduate students. Based on the underpinning unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), the four vital influencing factors identified in this study include the usefulness of online materials, network stability, the usability of e-learning platforms, and peer interactions. A total of 504 responses were analyzed using SPSS software. Results indicate that the use of online materials and the usability of e-learning platforms were critical determinants of satisfaction with ERT among undergraduate students. At the same time, internet stability and peer interactions have no significant influence. This current study concludes with relevant implications and recommendations for higher learning institutions to consider to thrive in this changing education landscape

The impact of online learning: mechanical engineering education perspectives

An emerging issue in both the mechanical engineering field and almost all other study disciplines is online learning. Many universities have changed their teaching strategies and are investing heavily in the online presentation of coursework without much investment dealing with lecturers. The migration from a traditional learning technique to online learning has grown rapidly over time. However, the problem is whether all students are ready for the transition from traditional face to face learning to online learning. This research explores the impact of an online learning approach within the mechanical engineering context. The focus of this study was to identify the improvement in the satisfaction, performance and self-confidence of the mechanical students in learning the Mechanical Engineering Design module using the online method. There are four stages involved in this research work. The first stage was problem discovery involving review of related literature and a preliminary study conducted to investigate the student experiences and teacher perceptions on the existing learning techniques for the mechanical design process. This preliminary study also aimed to identify the difficulties and problems faced by students that have resulted in the suggestion of a learning approach using computer technology. The second stage involved the designing and developing of a new prototype web-based learning system. A System Development Life Cycle model (SDLC) was applied comprising four phases of a concept, design, coding and testing. The third stage was the implementation and data collection. A main study was conducted with 160 mechanical engineering students from three different levels of study at one of the universities in Brunei Darussalam. Finally, the fourth stage was data analysis using SPSS statistical software. Based on the main findings, a significant difference was found between the experienced and inexperienced students in terms of their learning satisfaction in using online learning. Significant differences were also identified in terms of time taken between the experienced and inexperienced students when using traditional and online techniques of learning to solve the simple task. Additionally, the findings also indicated that there were significant differences among the experienced and inexperienced students in terms of marks performance in solving complex tasks using the online web-based learning system. The study has shown that the online learning approach is expected to be useful as an additional learning tool to the existing traditional learning technique, particularly in the context of engineering education

Evaluación del sistema de información para mejorar el servicio al cliente en una empresa de servicios públicos

En este trabajo se presenta la evaluación de un sistema de información que ha sido diseñado para el mejoramiento de los procesos de atención a los clientes en una importante empresa de servicios públicos de la ciudad de Bogotá. Para esto, primero se realizó todo el proceso de implementación del sistema y una vez ocurrió esta etapa se esperó un tiempo prudencial para que se estabilizara el sistema para con esto poder realizar una evaluación del mismo. Entonces se realizó un instrumento de medición, basado en la literatura, el cual se aplicó a la totalidad de los usuarios del sistema a través de un cuestionario en línea. Mediante el análisis de estos resultados, se lograron identificar puntos en los cuales el sistema es fuerte, así como en donde están las mayores oportunidades de mejora con lo cual la empresa de servicios pueda establecer un programa de trabajo para desarrollar evolutivos que contribuyan a potencializar el sistema.Abstract: This paper shows the evaluation of an information system that has been developed to improve the processes of client attention in a very important public services company of Bogota’s city. To achieve this, first, was to do all the process of implementation of the system and when this stage comes to an end, a period of stabilization was taken and after this, the evaluation of the system began. Then a measuring instrument was done, using a lot of literature references, which all the users filled through an online survey. Through an analysis results, it’s possible to identify several spots where the application is strong and where the system could improve to become a better system. This information could be shared with the services company, which would take a following decision to improve the system in a future.Maestrí