The Influence of Experience, Ability and Interest on e-learning Effectiveness
Matti Haverila [mhaverila@aus.edu],
American University of Sharjah (AUS),
School of Business and Management,
American University of Sharjah,
P.O. Box 26666, Sharjah,
United Arab Emirates [http://www.aus.edu]
Reza Barkhi [rbarkhi@aus.edu]
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a research conducted to evaluate the effect of learning preconceptions, prior e-learning experience, ability and interest of students on their perceptions regarding the process of e-learning. We study the effectiveness of e-learning as it relates to the level of e-learning experience. The participants came from two courses: Software business course at Tamk University of Applied Sciences in Tampere, Finland, and e-learning Professional course at Open University in United Kingdom. We use a quantitative and a qualitative research approach to interpret the results of this research study. The results imply that there are significant differences between the two groups regarding their perceptions of the effectiveness of e-learning. We provide specific recommendations for the practitioners, discuss the implications for educators, and provide suggestions for further research on e-learning.
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