Critical Success Factors of E-Learning Implementation in Higher Education Institutions: A Proposed Framework for Success

Headnote

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the critical success factors (CSF) that could be crucial for effectively implementing e-learning in HEIs and developing a framework for successful e-learning implementation in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Oman.

Methodology/ Design: An extensive literature review was undertaken and analyzed to identify the CSFs. The leading CSFs are determined according to their number of occurrences in the past studies. Accordingly, a framework is developed and proposed for e-learning implementation in HEIs considering the identified leading CSFs.

Findings: The dominant CSFs for e-learning are recognized as teachers' and students' commitment, self-efficacy and self-regulated approach, pedagogy, institution's involvement, technology, social interaction, and building up of e-learning environment.

Value/ Originality: This paper adds value to the knowledge of e-learning implementation in HEIs by emphasizing proposing the framework for successful e-learning implementation in HEIs in Oman. To the best of the author's knowledge, this study is first in its kind in context to Oman, which is a unique contribution.

Limitations: The present study is limited to literature analysis for identifying CSFs of e-learning emphasizing particularly on HEIs. Also, any primary research is not carried out for the verification of the proposed framework, which can be considered for further study.

Keywords: E-Learning, Higher Education, Online Learning, Student Satisfaction, Pedagogy

1.Introduction

With the recent Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of businesses were affected and were forced to have their employees work from home. Among the affected businesses, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) around the world were one of them as some were forced to deliver their courses fully online and some had to close for a while. A good example of a country that had both cases is Oman where some universities had the facilities to move forward into fully online teaching and some didn't have the resources and had to close for a while, to plan and obtain the resources. This resulted in a lot of students being stuck at home, not studying, and delayed their graduation for a couple of months.

Online as a mode of delivering course content has been increasing during the 21st Century firstly starting with blended learning to a fully online course. Blended learning is a system used by mostly HEIs that incorporates both the traditional...