Barriers to Using Learning Management System - Literature review Example

2.3.4.1 Barriers to using LMS A review of the literature around LMS revealed that the barriers to LMS adoption are broad, but can be grouped into four main categories including institutional issues, technology issues, academic issues and student issues. This categorisation is based on the view by Al-Busaidi and Al-Shihi (2010) that “the major issues that might influence instructors' acceptance of LMS might be related to the instructors' characteristics …, organisation factors … and the technology” (p. 4). Student issues, such as lack of knowledge of information communication technology among others, have also been identified as one of the barriers to the use of LMSs in learning institutions (Nasser, Cherif & Romanowski, 2011). Each of the four categories of factors that act as barriers to the use of LMS (institutional issues, technology issues, academic issues and student issues) is discussed in the next paragraphs. In relation to institutional issues, the barriers to using LMS include poor or lack of access to the technology as well as lack of incentives or programmes offered by the learning institutions to support the use of LMS. For instance, in an analysis of the factors that influence the use of instructional technology, Asiri et al. (2012) identified various issues that inhibit the use of technology in academic institutions for the purpose of delivering instruction. The institutional factors that were identified by Asiri et al. (2012) include lack of staff development initiatives with respect to the use of technology, lack of policy and administrative support, as well as lack of professional programmes to support or encourage the use of technology. Similarly, other institutional factors that have been identified as barriers to the use of LMS include poor access to the Internet (Mtebe, 2015; Fathema, Shannon & Ross, 2015), high cost of implementation (Venter, van Rensburg & Davis, 2012; Maina & Nzuki, 2015), poor institutional decisions (Maina & Nzuki, 2015), lack of institutional policies on and instructional designs for elearning (Fathema et al. 2015), inadequate technical support and exposure to technology (Azlim, Husain, Hussin & Maksom, 2014; Maina & Nzuki, 2015; Fathema et al. 2015), and lack of training (Azlim et al, 2014; Fathema et al. 2015). Technological issues that act as hindrances to the use of LMS include software and hardware related problems, technical malfunctions of systems, Internet access and availability, and network problems. This categorisation is based on information provided by a number of authors. To start with, Asiri et al. (2012) identified technological barriers in the perspective of higher education in KSA as issues including Internet access and availability as well as availability and accessibility of resources in the Arabic language. Along the same line, it has been pointed out that “lack of availability and accessibility of technology” is one of the reasons that make it difficult to use technology for instruction and learning in learning institutions (Becker, Newton & Sawang, 2013, p. 217). Another issue that acts as a major barrier to using LMS is poor or lack of technological infrastructure (Venter et al., 2012). This can particularly be said of developing countries like Saudi Arabia, which generally have low levels of technological infrastructure. For instance, in Kenya, another developing country, a study by Tarus, Gichoya and Muumbo (2015) found out that inadequate elearning and information communication technology infrastructure is among the key obstacles that hinder the operation of elearning in public universities in the country. In relation to such challenges, it has been argued that if Saudi Arabia wants to have world-class universities, the country will need to make significant investment in technology and infrastructure (Colbran & Al-Ghreimil, 2013). Academic issues that hinder the use of LMS include lack of knowledge and exposure to using technology, difficulties associated with the system, and lecturers’ attitudes in relation the utilisation of technology. These issues can also be referred to as personal barriers and include “attitude toward technology, computer and Internet experience, and technological skills and know-how” (Asiri et al. 2012, p. 128). In regard to this, a review of literature conducted by Fathema et al. (2015) found that the personal barriers to the use of elearning technologies include lack of skills and knowledge to use technology, lack of training, lack of role models, and the perception that elearning technologies are time-consuming. As well, attitudinal barriers to the use of elearning technologies include lack of faith in the technology, concerns about student access, and unwillingness to work with the technology (Fathema et al. 2015). Lastly, student-related issues pertain to matters such as student acceptance of the technology, accessibility of the technology to students, and students’ perceptions towards the usefulness and perceived ease of use of the technology. For instance, Barczyk, Hixon, Buckenmeyer and Zamojski (2012) note that Students who encounter technology barriers (e.g. the inability to access or surf the Internet) are less likely to easily adopt LMS. Specifically, Blackboard’s multi-layer folder system for the management of course materials has been criticised as being constraining to instructors and confusing to students (Logan & Neumann, 2010). Various reviews of literature (Fathema et al. 2015, p. 212) have also found “usefulness and ease of use to be good determinants of the student acceptance” of elearning technologies. 2.3.4.2 Enablers of LMS The reasons that promote the use of LMS can be classified into four categories as improving teaching, improving student learning, improving working conditions of lecturers, and other reasons (external and internal factors). With regard to improving teaching, it can be said that faculty members are likely to use LMS in their teaching activities if they know that the technology helps improve their teaching experience. The teaching experience is in terms of both helping the lecturers in their teaching activities and making it possible for students to enjoy their learning experience. For example, in a study on how Moodle, an LMS, improves teaching, Thindwa (2015) found out that “Moodle improves teaching quality as it has a high student satisfaction level, an aspect that is equated with teaching quality” (p. 64). This implies that members of faculty are more likely to use LMS if the LMS is associated with a high level of student satisfaction. This can be related to the various features of the LMS which enhance how lecturers are able to deliver instruction to their students and monitor progress (for instance auto-marked quizzes for immediate feedback; discussion forums) (Palahicky, 2015). Another point that is an enabler for using LMS is that lecturers are able to reach students who could not access higher education due to a number of reasons. It has been pointed out that educational technologies such as LMS facilitate distance education, which in turn “has the ability to reach students who otherwise were not in a position to either attend higher education or continue their education” (Aljabre, 2012, p. 134). The fact that Saudi Arabia has gender-separated institutions of higher learning is also an enabler of using LMS since technology is necessary to deal with the severe shortage of female members of faculty (Alharbi, 2013). With respect to improving student learning, it has already been noted above that LMSs such as Moodle are associated with a “high student satisfaction level” (Thindwa, 2015, p. 64). The notion that students are more satisfied when they use an LMS implies that the LMS improves their level of learning. This can be seen in the form of increased interactions and exchanges among students, active involvement of students in the learning process using LMS, and the convenience that is associated with accessing and sharing learning materials between lecturers and students. In literature, it has been argued that LMSs “do promote instructional approaches that enhance student learning” (Palahicky, 2015, p. 17). Notably, an LMS like Blackboard provides opportunities for communication through discussion forums, which enhances student interaction and participation in the learning process (Palahicky, 2015). This can also be referred to as stimulated learning (Thindwa, 2015). LMSs also enable teachers to provide graded assignments as well as lesson quizzes in a way that is both easy and facilitates high quality learning (Thindwa, 2015). It has also been suggested that technology is effective when the learner is “engaged in active, meaningful exercises via technological tools that provide cognitive support” (Schmid et al., 2014, p. 285). All these features are critical for improving student learning and thus act as enablers for using LMSs. The use of an LMS is also likely to be encouraged if the LMS aids in improving the working conditions of lecturers. This is through aspects such as being able to save time through the use of streamlined communication strategies, enhanced communication with students, and the usefulness of the LMS in relation to teaching activities. The use of streamlined communication strategies means that an LMS such as Blackboard has the potential to improve the collaborative nature of teaching by enhancing the student-lecturer interaction experiences (Coopman, 2009). There are various communication tools in an LMS like Blackboard which lecturers can use to get in touch with their students. These include real time chats, whiteboards, email, online notes/journals, file exchange and discussion forums (Palahicky, 2015). The use of such tools means for instance that a lecturer is able to interact with and monitor the progress of many students without necessarily straining to meet each of the students face-to-face. The usefulness of the LMS in relation to teaching activities also acts as an enabler to the use of such tools. The features that make an LMS useful to lecturers include course delivery tools such as automated test tools, online marking applications, student tracking and online grade book (Palahicky, 2015). Other reasons that act as enablers to the use of LMS include external and internal factors. Internal factors include lecturers’ perceptions regarding the use of LMS. This includes “their beliefs towards e-learning, and their competence level in using LMS” (Asiri et al.,2012, p. 125). Members of faculty are more inclined to use an LMS if they have a positive attitude towards it and if they possess the skills required in utilising the technology. Turning to external factors, these are variables that are not within the control of members of faculty. For instance, the fact that the Saudi Arabian government is supportive of elearning in institutions of higher education (Alharbi, 2013) is an enabler to using LMS since universities and faculty members will strive to adopt the use of technology. References Nasser, N., Cherif, M., & Romanowski, M. (2011). Factors that impact student usage of the learning management system in Qatari Schools. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 12(6). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/985/1956 Azlim, M.,Husain, K., Hussin, B., & Maksom, Z. (2014). Utilization of learning management system in higher education institution in enhancing teaching and learning process. 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Irby (Eds.), Handbook of research on innovative technology integration in higher education (pp. 54-73). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Aljabre, A. (2012). An exploration of distance learning in Saudi Arabian universities: Current practices and future possibilities. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology, 2(2), 132-137. Alharbi, A. (2013). E-learning in the KSA: A taxonomy of learning methods in Saudi Arabia (unpublished master’s thesis). Auckland: Auckland University of Technology. Palahicky, S. (2015). Utilizing learning management system (LMS) tools to achieve differentiated instruction. In J. Keengwe & J.J. Agamba (Eds.), Models for improving and optimizing online and blended learning in higher education (pp. 12-33). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Read More