Critical Issues and Problems in Web-Based Instruction in Higher Education: A Delphi Study

Abstract

There has been a considerable amount of professional pressure, and numerous position papers, in recent years expressing both the need for and the hypothetical limitations of Web-based instruction (WBI) in higher education. Thus as universities move toward the use of Web-based education (WBE), there is an increasing need to discover what university professors think about this new instructional environment. This paper attempts to clarify some of the issues and problems facing WBI in higher education in Taiwan. A Delphi method study was conducted in order to identify the issues and problems we face; twenty-seven panels were used in the four-round Delphi to identify these issues and problems. On ten issues and twelve problems a consensus of opinion was reached by the experts. The issues and problems identified were then classified into five categories: (1) theory, which involved two issues and one problem; (2) instruction, involving three issues and three problems; (3) delivery, involving one issue and three problems; (4) environment, including one issue and three problems; and (5) related factors, involving three issues and two problems. It was found that, in an examination of the top five items within the total set of issues and problems, the most prominent ones came under the categories of instruction and delivery.