An Empirical Study into the Role of Quality Factors in Influencing the Effectiveness of the E-learning System: An Academic Staff Perspective

Abstract

COVID-19 has caused the closure of schools around the world. According to the Global World Forum, more than 1.2 billion students have dropped out of classrooms worldwide. As a result, education has transformed dramatically with the extensive rise in e-learning where teaching is delivered remotely through technological solutions and platforms. Even though successful transitions among many universities have taken place, the users’ expectations of e-learning systems are still poor due to this rapid movement. Therefore, e-learning systems need to be investigated from a perspective of quality in order to ensure its effectiveness. The aim of this study is to empirically investigate the role of quality factors in influencing the effectiveness of e-learning systems from the perspective of academic staff. A quantitative approach was adopted using a web-based questionnaire. A total of 129 valid questionnaires were obtained through simple random sampling techniques. The results of the study indicated that all examined factors, namely, System Quality (SQ), Information Quality (IQ), Service Quality (SEQ), Technical Support Quality (TSQ), Course Design Quality (CDQ), and Learner Quality (LQ), influenced E-learning System Effectiveness significantly. The proposed factors explained a significant percentage with 90.8 percent of the total variance of E-learning Effectiveness. Furthermore, the results of multiple regressions using stepwise analysis indicated that the top three contributing factors were Service Quality, Learner Quality, and System Quality respectively. Moreover, the results revealed that Attitude partially mediated the relationship between Service Quality and E-learning System Effectiveness. Several implications and recommendations were proposed for future research.