Evaluating the Usability of Learning Management Systems from Students' Perception: A Case Study of King Abdulaziz University

Binyamin, Sami; Smith, Sally; Rutter, Malcolm

Abstract

Due to the rapid improvement in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), adopting technologies has become a major focus of interest in the field of education. The integration between ICT and education has introduced various positives and advantages. For example, ICT enhances the education quality, increases learning flexibility, eliminates the limitation of time and place and provides teachers and student with more control. The evolution of ICT in education has produced new terms such as e-learning, blended learning, web based classes and learning management systems (LMS). LMS might not be the most creative technology; however, LMS have been widely adopted in higher educational institutions to be in the service of different learning styles. As a response from King Abdulaziz University (KAU) to be in line with the advancement in ICT and education, KAU adopted an LMS in 2014. However, such a system experiences many usability issues related to users. Moreover, the usability evaluation of LMS has been disregarded, which contributes to the small amount of published literature on the proper evaluation from students’ perception. This research identifies the appropriate usability attributes, addresses the usability issues and makes recommendation for the enhancement of the usability of the LMS from students’ perception. Different studies have used different methods for evaluating the usability of LMS. The utilization of empirical methods and summative evaluation is preferable for this study. Mixed methods approach, including quantitative and qualitative methods, will be used to increase the reliability of the findings through “Triangulation”. Therefore, 3 Usability Evaluation Methods (UEM) were selected: a quantitative assessment by users’ questionnaire and a qualitative assessment by interviews and eye tracking. The findings of the study are in attempt to answer the research questions. What are the most critical usability issues experienced by students? How the usability level of the LMS can be enhanced? Are there any statistical correlations between the usability attributes and different variables such as age, prior experience with LMS, ICT skills, academic qualifications and GPA? The answers of the research questions provide the decision makers governing higher educational institutions with legitimate knowledge and deeper understanding of the LMS usability level.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (Published)
• Conference Name: 15th European Conference on eLearning (ECEL 2016)
• Start Date: Oct 27, 2016
• End Date: Oct 28, 2016
• Acceptance Date: Aug 8, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Oct 28, 2016
• Publication Date: Oct 28, 2016
• Deposit Date: Dec 22, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 6, 2017
• Publisher: Academic Conferences and Publishing International
• Pages: 112-113
• Book Title: 15th European Conference on eLearning (ECEL 2016)
• ISBN: 9781911218180
• Keywords: E-leaning systems, learning management systems, LMS, usability, King Abdulaziz University, KAU,
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/458458
• Additional Information: poster at https://i.imgsafe.org/fd5de597cf.png
• Contract Date: Jan 6, 2017