The dimensions of e-learning quality: from the learner's perspective

The present study was designed to identify the quality dimensions as perceived by adult learners who had taken one or more e-learning courses offered by higher education institutions in South Korea and to identify and confirm the structural features of these quality dimensions. The results of the ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational technology research and development 2011-08, Vol.59 (4), p.445-464
Main Author: Jung, Insung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult Basic Education
Adult education
Adult Learning
Adult Students
Collaborative learning
College Instruction
Distance education
Education
Education parks
Education, Higher
Educational activities
Educational Environment
Educational Quality
Educational Technology
Electronic Learning
Exploratory Factor Analysis
Factor Analysis
Factor Structure
Foreign Countries
Higher education
Instructional Effectiveness
Learning and Instruction
Learning Processes
Literature Reviews
Online education
Online instruction
Online learning
Outcomes of Education
Perceptual learning
Quality control
Quality management
Quality of education
RESEARCH ARTICLE
School facilities
South Korea
Student Attitudes
Student Surveys
Technical Support
Test Validity
Universities
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Summary:The present study was designed to identify the quality dimensions as perceived by adult learners who had taken one or more e-learning courses offered by higher education institutions in South Korea and to identify and confirm the structural features of these quality dimensions. The results of the exploratory factor analysis arising from a survey of 299 learners revealed that from their perspective, there were seven dimensions in evaluating the e-learning quality: Interaction, Staff Support, Institutional Quality Assurance Mechanism, Institutional Credibility, Learner Support, Information and Publicity and Learning Tasks. And the confirmatory factor analysis with responses obtained from another set of 496 adult learners confirmed a good fit of the seven-factor model to the observed data. While most of these seven dimensions are supported by previous studies, some dimensions, such as technology support, content and evaluation/assessment that e-learning providers had highlighted did not appear to be important for Korean adult learners. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed in relation to learner characteristics, e-learning design, and culture, and further research topics are suggested.
ISSN:1042-1629
1556-6501
DOI:10.1007/s11423-010-9171-4