Effect of Student Satisfaction on e-learning Quality and Learning Outcome Among Malaysian Undergraduate Nursing Students

Abstract

E-learning has become an important and ubiquitous instructional tool across a broad range of programmes in institutions of higher education (IHE). For instance, this is evident today in nursing education whereby e-learning in a blended mode approach provides both enormous and flexible opportunities for working nurses to further their education and to engage in continuous professional development for life-long learning. A pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility of participant recruitment, data collection process, and online survey in an e-learning education programme in Malaysia. The conceptual framework developed for the study was based on DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success Model to examine any mediation effect of student satisfaction on e-learning quality and learning outcome among nursing undergraduates in a local e-learning programme. The Partial Least Squares approach was used to analyse the possible effects on the relationships among the variables studied. The exploration process to determine the feasibility of the preliminary online survey has helped to contribute to the main study to be conducted in an e-learning nursing context. The findings revealed that there were significant relationships between the dimensions of system quality and service quality with student satisfaction and learning outcome. The results showed that there was a mediating effect of student satisfaction on the relationship between e-learning quality and learning outcome. The study emphasises the importance for an initial understanding of the learning environmental needs of learners to provide a credible and meaningful learning experience for working nurses in e-learning nursing programmes.

Keywords: e-learning quality, learning outcomes, mediation, nurses, student satisfaction