Elsevier

Computers & Education

Volume 54, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 222-229
Computers & Education

Students’ expectations of, and experiences in e-learning: Their relation to learning achievements and course satisfaction

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2009.08.005Get rights and content

Abstract

Within only a few years, the use of e-learning has increased rapidly in Austria. In certain subjects, up to 60% of university students report using e-learning platforms at least ‘sometimes’ or ‘frequently’ (Unger & Wroblewski, 2006). Yet, which aspects of e-learning do students consider important for their learning achievements and course satisfaction? This question was addressed by surveying 2196 students from 29 universities in Austria about their expectations of, and experiences in e-learning. Multiple regression analyses using Mplus 4.21 were carried out to investigate how different facets of students’ expectations and experiences are related to perceived learning achievements and course satisfaction.

With regard to their expectations, i.e., aspects of a course they consider important, students’ achievement goals were the best predictors for success and ranked higher than other course characteristics. With regard to their experiences, students’ assessments of the instructor’s expertise in e-learning, and her/his counseling and support were the best predictors for learning achievement and course satisfaction. Furthermore, self-regulated and collaborative learning were related to learning achievements. The results of the study suggest to influence students’ motivation and goals by adapting instruction accordingly and emphasize the importance of continuing education and training for the instructors.

Introduction

Over the past few years, digital media have enriched the teaching and learning experiences and have become commonplace with university students and lecturers (Engelbrecht, 2005, Liaw et al., 2007). Joint endeavors have been made in the last 10 years by universities in Austria to introduce e-learning, i.e., the application of digital media for teaching and learning. With financial support by the government, universities have been encouraged to develop e-learning strategies. These initiatives resulted in a variety of best-practice examples for e-learning and course development (Pflichter, 2006). The advancement of e-learning at universities is also influenced by the development of technical support, e.g., by the widespread introduction of learning management systems (such as Blackboard, WebCT, Moodle, etc.) (Alexander and Golja, 2007, Coates et al., 2005). In a survey carried out in 2006, more than 3000 students from various Austrian universities were asked how often they use learning management systems in their courses. In the social and business sciences, 60% of students reported using such systems ‘sometimes’ or ‘frequently’. In other subjects, at least 30–40% of students reported using such systems ‘sometimes’ or ‘frequently’ (Unger & Wroblewski, 2006).

Even though the application of e-learning at universities has increased rapidly, little is known about students’ expectations and experiences. Until recently, research focused on students’ experiences with specific aspects of e-learning courses, e.g., the interaction with an instructor, learning with a specific learning management system, or certain characteristics of a course (Alexander and Golja, 2007, Coates et al., 2005, Engelbrecht, 2005).

The aim of our research was to obtain a general view of students’ expectations of, and experiences in e-learning. By means of regression analyses, we investigated those expectations and experiences contributing to perceived learning achievements and course satisfaction. Our objective was not to examine specific courses or best-practice examples but to survey a large sample of students in order to obtain a broad picture of e-learning as it is offered in Austrian universities.

Section snippets

Theoretical background

When designing an e-learning course, instructors are faced with many considerations and decisions that consequently affect how students experience instruction, construct and process knowledge. These decisions related to the didactic design of a course may refer to one of five fields of instruction (Brophy, 1999, Ehlers, 2004):

  • (1)

    Course design, learning material, and electronic course environment: Brophy (1999) assumes that the structure and coherence of the curriculum and the learning material are

A study on students’ expectations of, and experiences in e-learning

Our study investigated how students’ expectations of e-learning courses, i.e., important and desirable characteristics of a course, and their experiences in an e-learning course relate to learning achievements and course satisfaction.

Discussion

The results of the research contribute to an understanding of which characteristics of an e-learning course and learning behaviors are important for learning achievements and satisfaction. They can be seen as a description of students’ experiences and offer recommendations of how to design e-learning courses under the general conditions at universities (e.g., the availability of only specific learning management systems, the necessity to offer courses to a large number of participants, etc.).

Conclusion

In our study, two aspects contribute strongly to learning achievements and course satisfaction: students’ achievement goals and the instructor. Students who considered gains in competencies as especially important, experienced higher achievements. Furthermore, the results of our study emphasize the instructor’s expertise and role as a counselor and facilitator in learning. The instructor does not become less important in e-learning. On the contrary, students experience the instructor’s support

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