Comparative study of the e-learning platforms used in Kenyan Universities : a case study of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and United States International University.

Abstract

Kenyan universities have implemented e-learning technologies and this has been done by incorporation of open source and commercial based e-learning platforms. However, despite the implementation of these platforms as content delivery channels, students have different perceptions in regard to suability of the platform and interactivity of these very platforms. The research project took a case study of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and United States International University which uses moodle e-learning platform and WebCT e-learning platforms respectively.

The objectives of this research was to evaluate the student’s usability and interactivity perceptions on both Moodle and WebCT e-learning platforms and to also develop a framework to change the student’s perception and to encourage student acceptance by making the system more appealing to them.

In this research, Software Usability Measurement Inventory (SUMI) an evaluation method was sued to evaluate the suability perception. SUMI has been used because it approaches the evaluation from the end-users’ perspectives. To evaluate interactivity, the research sued Interactivity parameters that should be embedded on the e-learning platforms linear interaction read, listen and watch, response practice and feedback, create and generate that is forums and real-time communication. The research was done through interviews and questionnaires. The interviews were used to get more detailed data from the students and lecturers.

The analysis of the feedback from the research reveals that students from both Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and United States International University have high perceptions that e-learning platforms implemented in their institutions were not interactive and have low usability capabilities. The research recommends the features that need to be incorporated to through a guideline framework that will help increase the perceptions of students on interactivity and usability of the e-learning platforms implemented in their learning institutions.