A Study on Barriers of E-learning from Viewpoint of University Staff and Students; Iranian Case Study, Islamic Azad University's Branches, Region I (Fars)

摘要

This study aims to examine the key barriers of e-learning in the branches of Islamic Azad University, Region I (Fars Province) from the viewpoint of university staff and students. In this descriptive survey, the barriers of e-learning were investigated with questionnaires and a sample comprising 1000 university staff and students. The results indicate that the lack of management support, impossibility of holding experimental meetings through e-learning, impossibility of university culture transfer and special problems of communicational infrastructures, the lack of easy access to computer systems and communicational lines and the lack of appropriate strategies of providing security are among the most important executional and infrastructural barriers of developing e-learning. In addition, the lack of expert staff in the fields of modern educational technologies, the lack of understanding of planners and the resistance of the beneficial against the implementation of electronic learning are the most important human barriers. Finally, the insufficiency of investment and required facilities, high cost of educational technologies' equipment and costs relating to updating are among the most noticeable financial barriers in front of learning development. Accordingly, in order to break through such problems, we can utilize some strategies, tactics and measures like enhancing the level of awareness, motivation of the staff and students, institutionalizing the university culture during the process of electronic learning, considering a sufficient budget for investing in the implementation and development of e-learning, updating facilities and developing the communicational infrastructures. The results of this study can be utilized by managers and executers of electronic learning. In the generalization of the findings, however, caution must be exercised and any aspect should be considered just like any other study.