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1 – 10 of 884Ilia Maslov, Shahrokh Nikou and Preben Hansen
This paper aims to explore the perspectives of university students on the learning management system (LMS) and determine factors that influence user experience and the outcomes of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the perspectives of university students on the learning management system (LMS) and determine factors that influence user experience and the outcomes of e-learning.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employs a mixed-method approach. For qualitative data, 20 semi-structure interviews were conducted. Moreover, for quantitative data, a short survey was developed and distributed among the potential respondents.
Findings
The results showed that students, particularly in programs where courses are mainly offered online, are dependent on such learning platforms. Moreover, the use of modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment (Moodle) as an application of LMS was rated positively, and e-learning was considered as an effective sustainable learning solution in current conditions.
Originality/value
The authors have illustrated empirically how the notion of UX of the LMS provides a means of exploring both students' participation in e-learning and their intention towards using such learning platforms.
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Although multiple studies examine institutional transitions of learning management systems (LMS) or compare their merits, studies examining students' free choice of access on…
Abstract
Purpose
Although multiple studies examine institutional transitions of learning management systems (LMS) or compare their merits, studies examining students' free choice of access on parallel LMSs for the same course are absent from the literature. In order to investigate usage in a free‐choice situation, identical content was posted at the same time to two different LMSs in a large enrollment class with a diversity of majors.
Design/methodology/approach
Two prevalent LMSs were utilized in the study: WebCT, which was in existence at a university‐wide level previously, and Moodle, which will become the new university‐wide system in the 2012‐13 academic year onwards. Both student self‐reports and LMS log usage data were analyzed. LMS preferences and usage groups were categorized.
Findings
Although this inquiry revealed that most students chose to use the WebCT system (85 per cent WebCT users, 15 per cent Moodle users; both self‐reported and log‐verified), the reasons given for WebCT preference pertained largely to habit and that most other courses are using the WebCT LMS. In contrast, the reasons given for using Moodle spoke directly to the attributes of the LMS itself, namely the interface quality and the way it is organized.
Originality/value
This study indicates that institutions should look beyond student usage patterns in making LMS choices, and that LMS quality is sometimes, and perhaps unfortunately, overshadowed by student habit and familiarity.
Jayde Cahir, Margot McNeill, Agnes Bosanquet and Christa Jacenyik-Trawöger
Many universities are in the process of changing their learning management systems to Moodle yet there is limited empirical research available on the impact of this change. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Many universities are in the process of changing their learning management systems to Moodle yet there is limited empirical research available on the impact of this change. The purpose of this paper is to explore the results of an initial pilot, which was conducted as the first stage of implementing Moodle at an Australian university.
Design/methodology/approach
The pilot study involved an online survey and a focus group with unit convenors teaching Open University Australia (OUA) units in Moodle.
Findings
The aim was to essentially test Moodle and eliminate any technological issues prior to the university-wide roll-out the following year. It was envisaged that this pilot would contribute to building capability and knowledge amongst staff members; however, it was unanticipated that this would be jeopardised by a wider and ongoing issue in higher education; namely, the casualisation of the academic workforce. The paper maps the accumulated knowledge of these unit convenors and how this knowledge is “walking out the door”.
Originality/value
The paper argues that an environment of insecure employment is a barrier to change management.
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Abdallah Taamneh, Abdallah Alsaad, Hamzah Elrehail, Manaf Al-Okaily, Abdalwali Lutfi and Rommel Pilapil Sergio
This study aimed at determining factors which affect university lecturers’ adoption of the Moodle platform under the conditions of COVID-19. In considering the condition of the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed at determining factors which affect university lecturers’ adoption of the Moodle platform under the conditions of COVID-19. In considering the condition of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model was applied and extended by adding two additional variables of learning demand and time pressure to assess their influence on Moodle platform adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from the 226 participants through an online structured questionnaire. The covariance-based approach of structural equation modeling was used to examine the proposed model. The structural model was tested using the maximum likelihood method of analysis of a moment structures to analyze the study’s hypotheses.
Findings
Results suggest that performance expectations have a substantial influence on behavioral intent. The effort expectancy, social effect and facilitative factors have no effects on behavioral intentions. Facilitating conditions directly and significantly affect the actual use of Moodle. The results also reveal that learning demands, which is a salient predictor of perceived time pressure, in turn directly and significantly affects the actual use of Moodle. Finally, the behavioral intention has a strong influence on Moodle’s actual usage.
Originality/value
Although the UTAUT 2 model is considered to be a new and updated version of UTAUT, it has not been used since newly added variables, namely, price, habit and hedonic motivations, are less related to the context and to avoid respondents’ paradox. Moreover, using the Moodle platform in the researched context is compulsory for both students and instructors. Discussion, insights, limitations and recommendations for future studies are suggested.
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Douglas Legramante, Ana Azevedo and Jose Manuel Azevedo
This paper aims to analyse the factors that influence the satisfaction and intention of continuity of use, of teachers and students, regarding using Moodle in undergraduate…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse the factors that influence the satisfaction and intention of continuity of use, of teachers and students, regarding using Moodle in undergraduate courses in one Campus at the Federal Institute of Rondônia in Brazil. The starting point was an integration of DeLone and McLean's Information Systems Success Model (ISSM) with Davis' Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach was adopted. After the definition of the hypotheses, data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaires were designed to measure the five constructs: Quality of Information (QI), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), Perceived Usefulness (PU), User Satisfaction (US) and Behavioural Intention to use (BI) that make up the conceptual model of the study. The data were analysed based on 144 valid questionnaires. The technique of maximum likelihood estimation was adopted in the data analysis through structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
The results confirmed six of the nine hypothesised relationships. QI positively impacts PEOU and US. PEOU positively impacts PU, which in turn positively impacts US and BI. Similarly, US positively impacts Moodle's BI. It was also evidenced that PU is the strongest predictor of US.
Practical implications
These results can help educational institutions, managers, administrators and designers of e-learning systems to develop strategies to increase Moodle's user satisfaction.
Originality/value
This study provides insights into the perception of students and teachers regarding the use of Moodle. A model that integrates constructs from two models widely used in research related to e-learning (TAM and ISSM) was used in a developing country context. This is important, given cultural differences and social idiosyncrasies in different contexts, particularly in an educational institution in the Amazonia region in northern Brazil.
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Chanut Poondej and Thanita Lerdpornkulrat
This study aims to deploy game elements in an e-learning course on the Moodle platform. One of the greatest challenges of e-learning can be motivating and engaging students in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to deploy game elements in an e-learning course on the Moodle platform. One of the greatest challenges of e-learning can be motivating and engaging students in learning. Gamification has been attracting increasing attention as a key underlying aspect of pedagogy that can be used to increase student engagement and motivation in learning.
Design/methodology/approach
To investigate student satisfaction and engagement with an e-learning course, here an Information Literacy Skills course, the authors collected data from 104 undergraduate students enrolled on the course in Thailand. In addition, the authors used student interaction data obtained from Moodle to examine whether there were any differences in the frequency of online interaction with the course between the students who performed at an above-average level and those who were below average.
Findings
The findings indicated that the students were highly satisfied with the gamification tools in Moodle and they were engaged in the gamified e-learning course. The authors found a significant difference in the frequency of online interaction with the course between the group who performed at an above-average level and the group who were below average.
Practical implications
The findings have important implications for the development of gamification in e-learning.
Originality/value
This paper fulfills an identified need to study how gamification idea can be implemented in e-learning.
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The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has used Moodle, an open source course management system since 2007. While the application allowed the university to…
Abstract
The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has used Moodle, an open source course management system since 2007. While the application allowed the university to deploy all its courses online, Moodle still presents limitations. The compartmentalised nature of courses within the system inhibits the sharing of learning objects and resources across users. Furthermore, while it does have social networking capabilities to a certain degree (by many accounts more so than other learning management systems), Moodle provides little flexibility when it comes to collaborative learning. Technical issues also hampered the performance of a number of built-in functionalities, which in turn gets in the way of the learning experience. These limitations encouraged facilitators and students alike to opt for third party web applications to fulfil course requirements. This research project aimed to address these limitations by expanding upon the functionalities of Moodle. This was achieved through the installation of modules and plugins within Moodle itself and the integration of external web applications such as conferencing, blogging, e-portfolios and rich media content management through single sign on (SSO). This expansion brought about a number of achievements. First, learning activities were made available which were either new or improved upon what Moodle had by default. This expanded learning management system was piloted with two courses under the Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies programme, which Moodle has been historically ill-equipped to accommodate on its own. Findings of this study were based on the analysis of performance as well as firsthand feedback from users, which in turn is to be used for the continual improvement of UPOU's online course deployment.
Sergio Duban Morales Dussan, Mauricio Leon, Olmer Garcia-Bedoya and Ixent Galpin
This study aims to explore the digital divide between students living in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in the Antioquia region of Colombia. This is achieved by…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the digital divide between students living in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in the Antioquia region of Colombia. This is achieved by collecting data about student interactions from the Moodle learning management system (LMS), and subsequently applying supervised machine learning models to infer the gap between students in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.
Design/methodology/approach
This work uses the well-established Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining methodology, which comprises six phases, viz., problem understanding, data understanding, data preparation, modelling, evaluation and implementation. In this case, student data was collected from the Moodle platform from the Antioquia campus of the UNAD distance learning university.
Findings
The digital divide is evident in the classification model when observing differences in variables such as the number of accesses to the LMS, the total time spent and the number of distinct IP addresses used, as well as the number of system modification events.
Originality/value
This study provides conclusions regarding the problems students in virtual education may face as a result of the digital divide in Colombia which have become increasingly visible since the implementation of machine learning methodologies on LMS such as Moodle. However, these practices may be replicated in any virtual educational context and furthermore be extended to enable personalisation of various aspects of the Moodle platform to meet the individual needs of students.
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The purpose of the paper is to propose a semantic model for describing open source software (OSS) in a machine–human understandable format. The model is extracted to support…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to propose a semantic model for describing open source software (OSS) in a machine–human understandable format. The model is extracted to support source code reusing and revising as the two primary targets of OSS through a systematic review of related documents.
Design/methodology/approach
Conducting a systematic review, all the software reusing criteria are identified and introduced to the web of data by an ontology for OSS (O4OSS). The software semantic model introduced in this paper explores OSS through triple expressions in which the O4OSS properties are predicates.
Findings
This model improves the quality of web data by describing software in a structured machine–human readable profile, which is linked to the related data that was previously published on the web. Evaluating the OSS semantic model is accomplished through comparing it with previous approaches, comparing the software structured metadata with profile index of software in some well-known repositories, calculating the software retrieval rank and surveying domain experts.
Originality/value
Considering context-specific information and authority levels, the proposed software model would be applicable to any open and close software. Using this model to publish software provides an infrastructure of connected meaningful data and helps developers overcome some specific challenges. By navigating software data, many questions which can be answered only through reading multiple documents can be automatically responded on the web of data.
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María Consuelo Sáiz-Manzanares, César Ignacio García Osorio, José Francisco Díez-Pastor and Luis Jorge Martín Antón
Recent research in higher education has pointed out that personalized e-learning through the use of learning management systems, such as Moodle, improves the academic results of…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent research in higher education has pointed out that personalized e-learning through the use of learning management systems, such as Moodle, improves the academic results of students and facilitates the detection of at-risk students.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 124 students following the Degree in Health Sciences at the University of Burgos participated in this study. The objectives were as follows: to verify whether the use of a Moodle-based personalized e-learning system will predict the learning outcomes of students and the use of effective learning behaviour patterns and to study whether it will increase student satisfaction with teaching practice.
Findings
The use of a Moodle-based personalized e-learning system that included problem-based learning (PBL) methodology predicted the learning outcomes by 42.3 per cent, especially with regard to the results of the quizzes. In addition, it predicted effective behavioural patterns by 74.2 per cent. Increased student satisfaction levels were also identified through the conceptual feedback provided by the teacher, arguably because it facilitated a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this work should be treated with caution, because of the sample size and the specificity of the branch of knowledge of the students, as well as the design type. Future studies will be directed at increasing the size of the sample and the diversity of the qualifications.
Originality/value
Learning methodology in the twenty-first century has to be guided towards carefully structured work from the pedagogic point of view in the learning management systems allowing for process-oriented feedback and PBL both included in personalized e-learning systems.
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