Open-distance electronic learning environments: Supervisors' views on usability

Abstract

Students in the open-distance and electronic learning (ODeL) environment often work in isolation and face challenges in accessing knowledge resources, especially when conducting research. To support these students in succeeding with their studies, the learning management system (LMS) needs to be usable; this implies the attributes of effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to propose usability guidelines specifically focused on the requirements for a learning management system in the context of ODeL honours research projects. The study is novel in exploring the supervisors' view of the usability requirements of the LMS. Based on a pragmatic worldview, this study is guided by the design science research (DSR) methodology. The initial set of usability requirements was abstracted from the literature and used as the basis for the LMS evaluation. Usability testing of the LMS was followed by heuristic evaluation, post-test questionnaire and interviews. All evaluations were done with the supervisors as participants. The contribution of the study is the refined usability guidelines based on the triangulation of the findings from the different usability evaluations conducted on the same ODeL LMS.

South African Rural University Students’ Experiences of Open Distance E-Learning Support

“…Participants appreciated the LMS as they collaborated on discussion forums and found it user-friendly but did not use it optimally. This finding was also in line with research done by Lehong (2019) that tested the usability of the university's learning Management Systems (LMS) concluded that they are usable but were not used optimally by the students. Additionally, some students needed additional interaction that may not necessarily be found on the university LMS but could exist on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.…”

“…Contrastingly, asynchronous e-learning does not demand that lecturers and students converge in the same place, students at their convenience can access learning materials (e.g., PDFs, recorded voice notes, or recorded lessons. Lehong (2019) argues that LMSs are effective in fostering online participation and providing a platform for the lecturers and students to converge and have access to one another. Additionally, Lehong (2019) states that studies carried out by Ssemugabi and De Villiers that tested the usability of the university's Learning Management Systems (LMS) concluded that they are usable but not optimally.…”

“…Lehong (2019) argues that LMSs are effective in fostering online participation and providing a platform for the lecturers and students to converge and have access to one another. Additionally, Lehong (2019) states that studies carried out by Ssemugabi and De Villiers that tested the usability of the university's Learning Management Systems (LMS) concluded that they are usable but not optimally. These could be used better in improving the quality of Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) if they could be integrated with social media like WhatsApp and Facebook, (Mbatha ,2014).…”