Understanding satisfaction essentials of E-learning in higher education: A multi-generational cohort perspective

David Eshun Yawson; Fred Amofa Yamoah

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05519

Understanding satisfaction essentials of E-learning in higher education: A multi-generational cohort perspective

Heliyon. 2020 Nov 15;6(11):e05519. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05519. eCollection 2020 Nov.

Authors

David Eshun Yawson¹, Fred Amofa Yamoah²

Affiliations

¹ Business School, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), P.O. Box AH 50, Achimota, Accra, Ghana.
² Department of Management, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7HX, UK.

Abstract

Despite the increasingly critical role of e-learning in higher education, there is limited understanding of the satisfaction essentials of multi-generational students' cohorts undertaking online courses. In this study, we examine the perceived value of educational experiences of multi-generational students' cohorts studying via an online learning management system (Moodle). The study analysed survey responses from multi-generational students (N = 611) on a core subject in an undergraduate business school programme. The results show that Generations X, Y and Z students produce different students' satisfaction levels in distinct components of the online programme; namely, course design, course delivery, course delivery environment and preference of the mode of delivery. Generations cohorts account for remarkable effects in the total satisfaction of students on the online learning programme. The results suggest that contextualising online teaching based on multi-generational students' cohort composition could be one strategy to enhance student learning experience and satisfaction.

Keywords: Education; Gender studies; Human-computer interface; Machine learning; Online learning; Pedagogical issues; Teaching/learning strategies.