Search results

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence business students’ adoption of e-learning systems by merging innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and the teaching for professional competence model (TPCM).

Snowball sampling was used to conduct the survey. In addition, 217 responses were obtained from students at private educational institutions. Similarly, literature on the determinants of e-learning adoption, TPCM, and IDT were reviewed to contribute to the factors that are instrumental in determining e-learning systems adoption.

The findings of the study show that e-learning systems adoption is influenced by factors such as online collaborative learning (OCL) and technology self-efficacy. Above all, the OCL variable was found to be influential in determining students’ adoption of e-learning systems platforms. On the contrary, perceived attributes such as perceived compatibility and perceived relative advantage were found not to be significant determinants of e-learning systems adoption.

This study contributed not only to the theoretical extensions but also to practical implications, which would benefit the policymakers of higher education providers in terms of e-learning system adoption in the country.

IDT and TPCM models are evaluated alongside additional variables, namely, OCL and technology self-efficacy. As a result, this paper will serve as a useful reference guide for academicians, higher education administrators, and future researchers.

This study aims to identify the role of e-learning for the continuing professional development (CPD) of university librarians in Pakistan to deliver value-added library services.

Explanatory sequential design was applied to address this study’s objectives. First, quantitative data were gathered from 341 respondents working in 244 universities and then qualitative data were gathered through an interview guide from 27 subjects working in different university libraries of Pakistan.

The findings of this study revealed that respondents realized the benefits of e-learning for continuing professional development positively. E-learning enabled university librarians to perform IT-based tasks through an adequate usage of digital technologies. The findings also manifested that the majority of the respondents faced the challenges of the lack of technical support, and inadequate organizational support to adopt e-learning for CPD. Results displayed e-learning courses should be conducted by local trainers.

This study has provided pertinent theoretical, practical and social contributions by identifying the role of e-learning for the CPD of university librarians of Pakistan to deliver value-added services.

The purpose of this paper is to explore future directions in E-learning research by analysing data from Scopus indexed publications in order to have a comprehensive overview of the trends and thematic focus post COVID-19 in Asian context.

The paper uses Vos viewer and Biblioshiny software packages to analyse the bibliometric data. This software helped in identifying the anatomy of E-learning and their themes which were instrumental in forecasting future trends.

The paper depicts the trends in post COVID-19 E-learning research in Asian context. It identifies key publications, authors and journals in the field, with a focus on numerous networks of collaboration between writers and nations, identifying keyword clusters and co-citation analysis clusters. This study also explored that China and the USA are having maximum number of collaborations, whereas, countries like India, the United Kingdom, Singapore and New Zealand have comparatively weaker collaboration networks. So there is lot of potential for these countries for such collaborations. India is the most cited country globally and China is having maximum number of scientific productions per year.

The paper has been written by exclusively referring to Scopus database papers. Collecting data from different databases would significantly improve the study. Future researchers can also focus on papers from psychology, computer science and engineering fields as current work is based on open access articles on social business, business and arts and humanities.

This research will be useful to educational institutions that use these platforms to offer E-learning content and match future trends. This study will help researchers in understanding the new dimensions in the field of E-learning.

The current study uses bibliometric analysis to examine the association between E-learning, higher education and COVID-19. It aids in the identification of new difficulties within the complex and expanding study fields in the world of E-learning. Newly published studies on E-learning trends can improve understanding and bridge the knowledge gap. As a result, recommendations can be made to improve and implement newer strategies in field of education.

This study conducts a systematic literature review to examine the interrelationships between e-learning critical success factors, instructors' perceptions of these factors, and the corresponding institutional actions taken by higher education institutions to achieve success in e-learning implementation, by fostering instructors’ acceptance of e-learning as a viable mode of delivery in higher education.

The research design employed in this study involves a systematic literature review of 43 peer-reviewed articles from EBSCO host and Scopus databases. The selected methodology employed thematic analysis of the gathered data by utilizing a multistep qualitative coding method of analysis.

The systematic literature review delivers three key findings. First, there is a notable divergence between instructors' perceptions of critical success factors for e-learning in higher education and the perspectives of other stakeholders, such as students, e-learning experts, and institutional management. Second, it emphasizes the importance for higher education institutions to understand and address instructors' perceptions to facilitate effective e-learning implementation. Third, the literature suggests potential causal relationships between institutional actions addressing the success factors deemed important by instructors and instructors' sustained acceptance of e-learning as a viable delivery mode.

The present study enriches knowledge of instructor perceptions of critical success factors for effectiveness in higher education by extending research in institutional management actions to enable their achievement. This study has implications for research strands on how instructors’ motivation and propensity for e-learning acceptance can be influenced by institutional management and how to reduce the level of resistance to adopting e-learning courses by addressing e-learning’s critical success factors as perceived by instructors.

Based on the theoretical insights derived from the systematic literature review, a conceptual framework is constructed, integrating the three concepts under investigation: success factors, institutional actions, and instructors' acceptance of e-learning in higher education. This framework provides a basis for future research seeking to validate the potential causal relationships among these concepts. Moreover, the study contributes to existing literature by addressing and consolidating research strands related to critical success factors and instructors' perceptions of e-learning effectiveness in higher education.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the combined effect of eight factors – performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), hedonic motivation (HM), system quality (SQ), information quality (IQ), service quality (SEQ), digital literacy (DL) and computer anxiety (CA) on learners’ behavioral intention (BI) toward the adoption of e-learning in higher education institutions (HEIs) in India.

The study used factors from two theoretical models, the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success model. The study also considered DL and CA as additional factors because they could affect a learner’s intention in a developing country like India. Data were collected from three HEIs in Southern India and analyzed using fuzzy qualitative and comparative analysis (fsQCA).

The results of the study emphasize the importance of considering both individual and technological factors in e-learning adoption and provide evidence for the significance of integrating multiple theories in understanding the complex relationship between factors and learners’ BI. Four different configurations of the eight factors: EE*HM*SQ*IQ*SEQ*DL*∼CA; PE*EE*HM*SQ*IQ*DL*CA; PE*EE*HM*IQ*SEQ*DL*CA; and PE*EE*SQ*IQ*SEQ*DL*CA found to be sufficient to cause learners’ BI to use e-learning.

This study explores the complex relationship between different factors and learners’ intention to adopt e-learning using the fsQCA method. These findings may need further validation in HEIs across different geographical locations.

This study provides practical insights for HEIs in India and other developing countries on how different factors combine and interact to determine e-learning adoption in multiple contexts.

Using fsQCA as a novel and rigorous method, this study uncovers the complex and nonlinear causal relationships among various factors that affect e-learning adoption. This study provides a holistic and contextualized understanding of e-learning adoption in a developing country’s scenario. This study can inform educators and policymakers on how to design and implement effective e-learning strategies that suit different learner profiles and contexts.

This study investigated university lecturers' attitudes, readiness and anxiety toward e-learning in response to the widespread transition to online education prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the interrelationships between these variables using a sample drawn from Nigeria.

The sample consisted of 168 university lecturers in Nigeria, comprising 94 males and 74 females. A questionnaire assessing university lecturers' attitudes, readiness and anxiety toward e-learning was administered to collect data. Descriptive, t-test and regression analyses were conducted to analyze the collected data.

The findings revealed significant correlations among lecturers' e-learning attitudes, readiness and anxiety. Specifically, significant relationships were observed between lecturers' e-learning attitudes and readiness, lecturer’s e-learning readiness and anxiety, as well as lecturers' e-learning anxiety and e-learning attitudes. Moreover, a notable difference was detected in the mean scores of e-learning attitudes between male and female lecturers, indicating that male lecturers exhibited more positive e-learning attitudes compared to their female counterparts. Additionally, male lecturers reported lower levels of e-learning anxiety and demonstrated higher readiness to embrace e-learning compared to female lecturers.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant limitations for this study. Firstly, due to restrictions on in-person interactions and mobility, conducting a pilot study was not feasible, which may have impacted the refinement of our methodologies. Additionally, the number of participants was limited as a result of challenges in recruitment and accessibility during the pandemic, potentially affecting the generalizability of our findings. Future research efforts should aim to mitigate these constraints and consider alternative methods for data collection to enhance the robustness of the results. Another research implication is the need to explore, through a qualitative approach, the lecturer’s use of e-learning and perception of the process, outcome and needs or areas of improvement. This could unearth deeper issues that threaten the effective transition to and use of e-learning by higher education teachers.

Overall, our findings illuminate the importance of targeted policy and practice interventions to address attitudes, readiness and anxiety among lecturers, facilitating the successful implementation of e-learning initiatives within Nigerian higher education institutions.

The study underscores implications for e-learning integration, emphasizing the importance of considering various human and social factors alongside technical aspects.

This study adds to the existing literature by examining the level of lecturers' attitudes, readiness and anxiety toward the adoption of mandatory e-learning in schools and how these variables relate to drawings on a Nigerian sample.

E-learning has become a polarizing issue. Some say that it enhances accessibility to education and some say that it hinders it. While the literature on the subject underscores the effectiveness of the pedagogical frameworks, strategies and distance learning technologies, the firsthand accounts of students, parents and practitioners challenge the validity of experts’ assessments. There is a gap between theory and practice and between the perceptions of providers and consumers of online learning. Following a period of lockdowns and a transition to online learning during the recent pandemic, the prevailing sentiment toward a distance mode of instruction became one of strong skepticism and negative bias. The aim of the study was to examine why e-learning has struggled to meet stakeholder expectations. Specifically, the study posed two research questions: 1. What are the reasons for dissatisfaction with online learning? 2. What are the implications for future research and practice?

The study used a mixed methods approach to examine the reasons behind negative perceptions of online learning by comparing the firsthand accounts posted on social media with the literature. To this end, n = 62,874 social media comments of secondary and postsecondary students, as well as parents, teachings staff and working professionals, covering the span of over 14 years (2008–2022), were collected and analyzed.

The study identified 28 themes that explain the stakeholder’s discontent with the online learning process and highlighted the importance of user-centric design. The analysis revealed that the perceived ineffectiveness of distance education stems from the failure to identify and address stakeholders’ needs and, more particularly, from the incongruence of instructional strategies, blindness to the cost of decisions related to instructional design, technology selection and insufficient levels of support. The findings also highlight the importance of user-centric design.

To address dissatisfaction with e-learning, it is imperative to remove barriers to learning and ensure alignment between technology and learners’ needs. In other words, the learning experience should be personalized to account for individual differences. Despite its cost-effectiveness, the one-size-fits-all approach hinders the learning process and experience and is likely to be met with resistance.

Drawing from the extensive literature, the study offers an explanation for stakeholders’ discontent with e-learning. Unlike survey research that is prone to social desirability bias, the sample provides a rare opportunity to observe and measure the visceral reactions that provide a more authentic sense of stakeholders’ perceptions toward online learning. The authors offer recommendations and identify areas for future research.

The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of online learning on university librarians’ professional development and library services.

A mixed-methods study through an explanatory research design was applied to address the study’s objectives. Quantitative data were gathered from 341 librarians working in 221 universities, while qualitative data were gathered from 27 experts working in 21 different universities of Pakistan.

The findings of the study revealed that online learning has a significant positive impact on the professional development of university librarians. Results revealed that online learning assists in the provision of sustainable, innovative library services in university libraries.

The study has offered a model in light of the study's quantitative and qualitative findings. It contributes to theoretical understanding by expanding the existing knowledge base. It offers managerial insights, enabling the development of policies that foster the professional development of library personnel and the implementation of smart library services.

Due to the growing complexity involved in leveraging the endless possibilities of ICT on all levels, the technical competence of faculties of higher education institutions (HEI) and effective methods for fostering e-readiness has become questionable.

This research has developed and validated an empirically supported e-readiness scale, which can be used by HEIs to assess faculty members’ preparedness toward online teaching. The measurement model and the structural model were developed as the results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 245). The previously identified components and their indicators were validated using the structural models and the final scale was developed with five dimensions (“online technological readiness, pedagogical readiness, institutional readiness, learning and delivery readiness and content readiness”).

The faculties’ e-readiness assessment tool, as a useful tool, could aid institutions in identifying problems that affect the implementation of e-learning or digitalization in the institutions and developing strategies in response.

Like any research this research also has some limitations and can be considered as future research probability like the responses for this research were collected from HEI in India; however, a cross-cultural study can be conducted to understand the parameters across the globe. Although the psychometric qualities of the e-readiness scale are acceptable, additional research in various higher educational environments, both nationally and internationally, is required to further establish the scale’s relevance, validation and generalizability.

Although many scales have been developed to assess the readiness level in the education sector, a scale, that holistically measures, the readiness level of faculties from an overall perspective was required. This scale can be used to recognize the e-readiness level of teachers in HEIs. This scale can also help the institutions assess the readiness level of their faculty members and address any improvements required in their teaching and learning pedagogy, further acknowledging training needs.

The objective of this study is to investigate the key determinants affecting the acceptance and utilization of Blackboard as a Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) platform among Saudi university students pursuing English as a foreign language (EFL) courses.

Understanding how to engage EFL students in their learning requires identifying the factors that influence their acceptance and use of CALL tools, particularly on Blackboard's LMS platform. This study proposes and validates a research framework that predicts students' behavioral intentions and usage of CALL by utilizing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) by Venkatesh et al. (2012). This research model provides insight into the various drivers that impact CALL acceptance via Blackboard LMS. The study's findings demonstrate UTAUT2's superior ability to address the fear of technology adoption and provide valuable insights into the factors that influence technology intention and usage.

The study's findings indicate that performance expectancy, social influence, effort expectancy and price value significantly affect the attitudes of EFL students toward using CALL. The habit factor was the most robust predictor of behavioral intention and technology use, indicating that CALL usage can become automatic for students and improve their engagement in EFL learning. The study highlights the importance of providing better technical and organizational support to EFL students who want to use CALL more effectively. The theoretical and practical implications of the study's findings are thoroughly discussed.

Understanding how to engage EFL students in their learning requires identifying the factors that influence their acceptance and use of CALL tools, particularly on Blackboard's LMS platform. This study proposes and validates a research framework that predicts students' behavioral intentions and usage of CALL by utilizing the UTAUT2 by Venkatesh et al. (2012). This research model provides insight into the various drivers that impact CALL acceptance via Blackboard LMS. The study's findings demonstrate UTAUT2's superior ability to address the fear of technology adoption and provide valuable insights into the factors that influence technology intention and usage.