Factors Affecting Students’ Decision to Undertake Online Learning

Abstract

The expansion in the scale of online higher education has been accompanied by a paradigm shift in the quality enhancement of online higher education, with from an emphasis on the adequate supply of institutional resources and the expansion of student numbers to a focus on student learning outcomes directly related to the benefits of student learning. This paradigm shift is also reflected in national policy. This paradigm shift is also reflected in national policy, which has been in place since 1998 when the Ministry of Education officially. Since 1998, when the Ministry of Education formally approved pilot institutions for online higher education, online higher education has entered a phase of rapid development. As the scale of online higher education enrolment has expanded dramatically, student learning outcomes have become a focal point for measuring quality improvement. In 2018, the Ministry of Education launched the Notice on the Annual Report on the Development of Continuing Education in Higher Education, which includes student learning effectiveness as an indicator for assessing the quality of continuing education in higher education. So, how should we evaluate the effectiveness of student learning? What are the factors that influence it? How can these factors be effective to achieve the purpose of influence? This study attempts to empirically investigate the mechanisms of the factors influencing the learning effectiveness of online higher education students in an engineering university in Beijing based on institutional influence theory, using structural equation modelling. The study found that. (1) More than 70% of students believe that their professional and vocational knowledge and skills have been developed through online higher education study, and they have greater hopes for career advancement and wider career choices. More than 70% of students also believe that their professional knowledge and skills and problem-solving skills have been improved, and they are more satisfied with the curriculum, the school platform and the work of teachers. (2) There are differences in the influence paths of each influencing factor. There are two pathways for the influence of curriculum and self-efficacy on students' learning outcomes: a direct pathway and an indirect pathway mediated by behavioural engagement and student-teacher interaction. Behavioural engagement and teacher-student interaction are both direct influences and also play a mediating role in moderation. In contrast, there is only a direct path of influence on student motivation, and the learning platform can only indirectly influence student learning outcomes through teacher-student interaction. (3) This study verifies the applicability of the institutional influence theory to students in online higher education, as environmental and student background factors can have direct or indirect effects on student learning outcomes.