Author: Armando Cortés Ordóñez
Programme: Doctoral Programme in Education and ICT (e-learning)
Language: English
Supervisor: Dr Elena Barberà Gregori
Faculty / Institute: eLearn Center
Subjects: Higher Education, Universities
Key words: Online learning, e-learning, Critical success factors, Course design, Learner-instructor interaction, Learner satisfaction, Knowledge acquisition, Knowledge transfer, Cultural differences, Academic performance, Cultural context
Area of knowledge: e-Learning

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Summary

This study identifies factors that contribute to success in online learning in higher education from learners' and teachers' perspectives. A systemic and socio-constructivist-based model of inputs-process-outputs of learning was used with five learner factors that include what learners bring to the online learning experience (general self-efficacy, online self-efficacy, motivation, prior knowledge, and course expectation). Eight institutional predictor factors that include factors that universities give to the learner's experience of learning (learner support, social presence, direct instruction, learning platform, instructor interaction, learner interaction, learning content, and course design) and three different outcome factors that include what learners receive from their online learning experience (learner satisfaction, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge transfer) were analysed.

A questionnaire was completed by 198 learners and 50 teachers from a university in Mexico and was then contrasted with results found in three universities in three different countries, the University of New Mexico (USA), the University of Peking (China) and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Spain).