The Impact Of "Learning Skills For Open And Distance Learners" Course On Learner Attitudes Towards E-Learning

• Main Authors: Ramli Bahroom, Latifah Abdol Latif, Noor Azina Ismail, Nik Najib Nik Abdul Rahman
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: LC Special aspects of education
• Online Access: http://library.oum.edu.my/repository/257/1/Impact_of_LSM_on_e-learning_attitudes_2006.pdf; http://library.oum.edu.my/repository/257/
• Institution: Open University Malaysia

This study compares the attitudes towards e-learning between a group of undergraduate inservice teachers in Open University Malaysia (OUM) who have undertaken the Learning Skills for Open and Distance Learners' Course and those who have not. Awareness of learner attitudes toward e-learning is a critical factor in enhancing the acceptance of e-learning, as well as in understanding current learner behavior in an online environment. The survey questionnaire consists of a five-point Likert-type attitude scale comprising of 40 positive statements, factoranalyzed into five dimensions. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to identify significant differences in each item among two different groups of learners. The scales were then converted to scores so that the overall score for each dimension is the sum of the scores of items in the dimension. The study then used t-tests to investigate the difference in the overall scores of each dimension between the two groups of learners. The results of the study indicate that the �Learning Skills for Open and Distance Learners� Course at OUM does have a positive impact on the attitude of learners towards e-learning. However, general attitude is somewhat neutral. The implications of the results of this study are discussed, particularly in relation to the LSODL course and possible modifications/additional features that need to be built in so as to further improve e-learning use amongst learners. (Authors' abstract)