The success of any online learning programme is crucial especially in the current economic global climate where resources are scarce and demands are constantly being made on universities to increase their intake and revenue. Implementing an online programme is challenging and it is even more so for universities with a multi-cultural audience that is spread across many geographically dispersed countries such as the Caribbean. This study seeks to determine the factors that play the most significant role in the success of an online learning programme for a university that is based in the Caribbean and whose primary audience is the Caribbean student. The factors determining the success of the online learning programme are derived primarily from the student’s perspective and secondarily from the lecturer’s perspective. The outcome (success) factors of Learner Satisfaction, Knowledge Acquisition and Knowledge Transfer have two primary inputs: Learner factors and Institutional factors. The Learner factors are student based and they include general self-efficacy, online self-efficacy, motivation, prior knowledge and course expectation. The Institutional factors include learner support, social presence, direct instruction, learning platform, instructor interaction, learner interaction, learning content and course design. Using the results of a questionnaire adapted from Barbera and Linder-Vanberschot (2011), multiple regression analysis was utilised to determine the factors that had the greatest influence on Learner Satisfaction, Knowledge Acquisition and Knowledge Transfer to students of the University of the West Indies (UWI). In adapting the questionnaire, additional factors of bandwidth and the use of English as the primary teaching language were included. The 226 student responses and 32 lecturer responses were also utilised to draw a comparison between the Caribbean-based university and universities based in China, Mexico, the United States of America and Spain using Hofstede’s (2001) cultural dimension framework. It is hoped that by utilising this study, designers and implementers of online learning programmes will be better able to address the cultural differences that exist, especially those in the Caribbean, to deliver a successful online learning programme.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:714322 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Soo Ting, Michael |
| Contributors | Longden, Bernard |
| Publisher | University of Sheffield |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/17578/ |
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