Learners’ Satisfaction With the Website Performance of an Open and Distance Learning Institution: A Case Study

Gopal Datt,Gagan Singh

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v22i1.5097

Abstract

This paper explores learners’ awareness of and satisfaction with the e-services that an open university provides its learners through its Website. The paper further highlights the influence of age, gender, and education levels on learners’ awareness and satisfaction levels. A case-study approach was adopted and an online survey was used to collect data from learners in various programs of study at Uttarakhand Open University, India. The questionnaire measured the awareness levels of learners regarding 15 frequently used e-services and their satisfaction levels with the 12 most frequently used e-services that the university offers. Results show that gender, age, and education level have a significant influence on the awareness and satisfaction level of the participants. When maturity level and education level of the participants increased, they are more aware of the e-services provided by the University. In some cases, up to 58% of users were unaware of the university’s e-services, and a large number of respondents were either dissatisfied with or undecided regarding the university’s e-services. Results indicate that infrastructure is required for learners’ optimal use of information and communication technology and the e-services that the university offers, including the provision of Internet connectivity at all of the university’s learning support centers.

Highlights

The Website of any open university is the most common medium for distributing information among current and prospective learners
Open university Websites are more advanced than the Websites of other educational institutions because the open university Website acts as a one-stop resource through which several learner support services are launched, such as online admissions; notices and announcements; student records; online examination forms; e-learning portals; evaluation results; and complaint, query, and grievance registration
Primary data was collected from learners enrolled in the Uttarakhand Open University using an online survey questionnaire; and secondary data was collected from relevant literature and Websites, publications, reports and records from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Uttarakhand Open University, distance education institutes, the University Grants Commission, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Distance Education Council, and the Distance Education Bureau in India

Summary

Introduction

The Website of any open university is the most common medium for distributing information among current and prospective learners. The Internet has made access to information and the distribution of educational content available to a large portion of the world’s population. It has helped move distance education into the digital era (Fidalgo et al, 2020). In the ODL system, educational opportunities are deliberately planned so that education is available to large parts of society and can reach the remotest locations of a region This system helps overcome many of the problems involved in the traditional education system, such as a lack of classrooms, lack of quality education, and faculty shortages, among others. Education prepares learners to be more productive and competent in the harsh competition of the global economy; and the ODL system can serve as a platform to pursue new levels of qualification and enhance learners’ skillset and knowledge

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Conclusion