Abstract:

The implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT) has substantially modified teaching and learning processes in higher education (Coates et al., 2005). Virtual learning environments (VLE) enable collaborative work among students, although it is necessary to optimize the possibilities they offer, since, otherwise, there is a risk of being used only as repositories of content (Conole, 2004). In fact, according to previous research, students assess positively these platforms provided that the teaching staff includes varied contents and the degree of interactivity with the students is high (Weaver et al., 2008). In university studies, it is remarkable the use of Moodle, that provides several tools to develop virtual learning processes (Williams Van Rooij, 2012).

This present paper aims at identifying the main perceived usefulness attributes of the VLE contributing to the student learning process. In order to achieve this aim, a structural model focused on the analysis of students' perceptions of the VLE usefulness is estimated, where the variable to be explained is the student opinion on the degree to which the online platform facilitates learning, and the explanatory variables are the student perceptions about the characteristics of said environment.

To measure students’ perceptions on the usefulness of Moodle in undergraduate university studies, the items of the scale of Olmos-Migueláñez et al. (2014) have been adapted. A self-administered questionnaire is completed by Business and Marketing students of a private Spanish university, collecting 191 valid questionnaires. An Exploratory Factor Analysis allows to conclude that the items group in seven factors: "course content", "digital content", "activities", "evaluation", "feedback to evaluation", "interaction" and "learning". After confirming the psychometric properties of the measuring instrument, we have estimated a model in which "learning" is the dependent variable and the remaining six factors are the independent variables. The partial least squares (PLS) method was used to test the measurement model and the structural equations model (SEM) with SmartPLS3 software.

From the obtained coefficients, we confirm that students’ perception of the course content, digital content, feedback of evaluation and the student-lecturer interaction in Moodle, have a positive and significant influence on the student perception on the degree to which the online platform facilitates learning. In contrast, there is no significant impact of perceptions about activities and evaluation in Moodle on student learning.

In view of these results, we conclude that students perceive that the use of Moodle, even if complementary to face-to-face learning in this study, contributes positively to their learning process, since it enables the lecturer to provide them with
(1) appropriate, interesting and updated content about the course and additional information that allows them to expand their knowledge through links to digital resources;
(2) feedback through the evaluation of their work, activities, participation and grades; and (3) lecturer-students interaction.

The practical implications for lecturers and institutions using Moodle reside in the potential of this VLE has to improve student learning, optimizing activities and evaluation, improving course content and assessment, and facilitating interactions between lecturers and students in a blended learning context.

Keywords:

Virtual Learning Environment, Moodle, perceived usefulness, learning.