to many, however, it constantly appears as an instructional problem. The final two chapters serve as excellent summary statements. Chapter 13 emphasizes the application of previous text material to the classroom situation. Of great significance is the author's discussion of commonly defined independent, dependent, and moderator variables. The final chapter focuses on evaluation in the overall sense, particularly as it relates to programs of study. The principles of measurement and research design are applied to the evaluation process through several ex-

Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Application:

This study identifies the critical success factors that influence the acceptance of e-learning systems in developing countries. E-learning is a popular mode of delivering educational materials in higher education by universities throughout the world. This study identifies multiple factors that influence the success of e-learning systems from the literature and compares the relative importance among two stakeholder groups in developing countries, ICT experts and faculty. This study collected 76 usable responses using the Delphi method and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach. The results reveal 6 dimensions and 20 critical success factors for e-learning systems in developing countries. Findings illustrate the importance of curriculum design for learning performance. Technology awareness, motivation, and changing learners' behavior are prerequisites for successful e-learning implementations. Several recommendations are provided to aid the implementation of e-learning systems for developing countries which have relevance for researchers and practitioners. Limitations as well as possible research directions are also discussed.

Critical success factors for e-learning in developing countries: A comparative analysis between ICT experts and faculty

There has been little research on assessment of learning management systems (LMS) within educational organizations as both a web-based learning system for e-learning and as a supportive tool for blended learning environments. This study proposes a conceptual e-learning assessment model, hexagonal e-learning assessment model (HELAM) suggesting a multi-dimensional approach for LMS evaluation via six dimensions: (1) system quality, (2) service quality, (3) content quality, (4) learner perspective, (5) instructor attitudes, and (6) supportive issues. A survey instrument based on HELAM has been developed and applied to 84 learners. This sample consists of students at both undergraduate and graduate levels who are users of a web-based learning management system, U-Link, at Brunel University, UK. The survey instrument has been tested for content validity, reliability, and criterion-based predictive validity. The analytical results strongly support the appropriateness of the proposed model in evaluating LMSs through learners' satisfaction. The explanatory factor analysis showed that each of the six dimensions of the proposed model had a significant effect on the learners' perceived satisfaction. Findings of this research will be valuable for both academics and practitioners of e-learning systems.

Multi-dimensional students' evaluation of e-learning systems in the higher education context: An empirical investigation

One of the most significant changes in the field of education in this information age is the paradigm shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered education. Along with this paradigm shift, understanding of students' e-learning adoption behavior among various countries is urgently needed. South Korea's dense student population and high educational standards made investment in e-learning very cost-effective. However, despite the fact that South Korea is one of the fastest growing countries in e-learning, not much of the research results have been known to the globalized world. By investigating critical factors on e-learning adoption in South Korea, our study attempts to fill a gap in the individual country-level e-learning research. Based on the extensive literature review on flow theory, service quality, and the Technology Acceptance Model, our study proposes a research model which consists of four independent variables (instructor characteristics, teaching materials, design of learning contents, and playfulness), two belief variables (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), and one dependent variable (intention to use e-learning). Results of regression analyses are presented. Managerial implications of the findings and future research directions are also discussed.

http://isrc.ccs.asia.edu.tw/yourslides/files/262/Learners%20acceptance%20of%20e-learning%20in%20South%20Korea%20Theories%20and%20results.pdf

Learners' acceptance of e-learning in South Korea: Theories and results

Arthur Chickering is Distinguished Professor of Higher Education at Memphis State University. On leave from the Directorship of the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Memphis State, he is Visiting Professor at George Mason University. Zelda Gamson is a sociologist who holds appointments at the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan.

Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education: Faculty Inventory. Institutional Inventory.

E-learning is emerging as the new paradigm of modern education. Worldwide, the e-learning market has a growth rate of 35.6%, but failures exist. Little is known about why many users stop their online learning after their initial experience. Previous research done under different task environments has suggested a variety of factors affecting user satisfaction with e-Learning. This study developed an integrated model with six dimensions: learners, instructors, courses, technology, design, and environment. A survey was conducted to investigate the critical factors affecting learners' satisfaction in e-Learning. The results revealed that learner computer anxiety, instructor attitude toward e-Learning, e-Learning course flexibility, e-Learning course quality, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and diversity in assessments are the critical factors affecting learners' perceived satisfaction. The results show institutions how to improve learner satisfaction and further strengthen their e-Learning implementation.

http://water-msc.org/en/knowledge_base/successful_e_learning.pdf

What drives a successful e-Learning? An empirical investigation of the critical factors influencing learner satisfaction

As the World Wide Web develops, the number of new websites grows at an astounding speed. However, many web sites are designed and established without the aid of sufficient professional skills and resources, so their quality is often questionable. Therefore, evaluation of the quality of web sites becomes important. In this work, stepwise regression method is applied to assess the ranking of web sites in two different categories based on the average number of visits per day. Such ranking represents, in part, user satisfaction, and therefore, the quality of a web site. A total of fourteen factors frequently found in the literature are considered independent variables in developing the model. The regression analysis shows the regression models are different for two categories of web sites and their prediction accuracies are both over 75%. Our models also suggest that good web sites must satisfy a wide spectrum of quality aspects.

Dowming Yeh

Papers

What drives a successful e-Learning? An empirical investigation of the critical factors influencing learner satisfaction

Linear Regression Models for Assessing the Ranking of Web Sites Based on Average Numbers of Visits