Measuring E-Learners' Perceptions of Service Quality

Abstract

This article examines the factors of e-learners' perceptions of service quality in terms of the physical appearance of the learning management system, students' assurance of personnel's level of knowledge, and the customized attention to students' needs. The authors use a survey to measure the five dimensions of the SERVQUAL scale, adapted to the e-learning context. A total of 325 responses were obtained. To validate their scale, the authors performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. They found that the most important determining factors for e-learning are: ergonomics, corresponding to the attractiveness of the e-learning system; assurance, corresponding to instructors' ability to satisfy students' needs; and empathy, corresponding to the attention given to each individual student. The authors also found that in the context of e-learning, the relative importance of the dimensions of perceived quality is different from what is typically observed in more traditional services. Their findings enable educational institutions to improve their understanding of the expectations and perceptions of e-learners.