Success Factors for E-Learning Systems Implementation In Developing Countries : The Case of Higher Education Institutions in Gabon

Abstract

As information and communication technologies (ICT) are increasingly integrated into societies around the world, their effects are clearly visible on people's lives as well as on the economy of countries. The use of ICTs in developing countries like Gabon is considered a necessity to overcome the many challenges encountered in all sectors in general, and in education in particular. The use of ICT for education is called "e-learning", which could be defined as teaching and learning using electronic media to access the educational program, remotely without the need for a traditional classroom. E-learning systems are constantly mentioned as a solution in higher education in Gabon facing many problems such as an insufficient number of teachers and facilities, a limited number of seats in classrooms and outdated course content, to name a few. However, adopting e-learning technology as an educational system without a real plan can be very costly in terms of resources (skills, time, money and energy). Thus, the objective of my research is to study the success factors of e-learning systems, both on the side of users (students, teachers and technical staff in Study 1 and on the side of providers (universities and government institutions) in Study 2. Since the success of e-learning systems is almost always attributed to technology, Study 1 aims to analyze the factors affecting Perceived usefulness and Use for the effectiveness of e-learning systems, combining technological factors (system quality, information quality, and service quality) and factors related to people personality traits or individuals' characteristics (prior knowledge, self-regulated learning, and consistency of interests). This has been suggested by previous research. A mono-method approach, a quantitative methodology and a structured survey questionnaire were used to collect data from around 400 respondents (students, teachers and technical staff in some universities in Gabon); then, the data collected was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and the results showed that there were significant relationships between the variables and factors of the model. The results and conclusions of the study confirmed the influence of technological factors on perceived usefulness and use and revealed the important role of individuals' characteristics in the success of e-learning systems. Researchers are encouraged to pay more attention to the characteristics of individuals in future research. The success of e-learning systems also depends on a sustainable business plan and organizational readiness measured in terms of technical, content, human and financial resources. Thus, Study 2 aims to investigate the frameworks for creating a successful e-learning business model for good return on investment by combining the Business Model Canvas (BMC) and Technology Roadmap (TRM) tools. A literature-based case study using popular e-learning platforms such as edX, Coursera, and Udacity helped me gain more specific insights through an interview with a panel of potential users and business experts from two different universities in Gabon. BMC and TRM were developed separately but simultaneously, then linked together and applied to the considered SCIENTIA case study. The BMC was developed for a medium-term period (four years), the information gathered was used in the construction of the TRM and the final product was presented. The conclusions of the research are drawn on the basis of the results of the two studies, contributions, limitations and future recommendations are then discussed in detail.