E‐learning in higher education: some key aspects and their relationship to approaches to study

While there has been systematic and on‐going research into e‐learning in universities for over two decades, there has been comparatively less evidence‐based research into how key aspects of e‐learning are internally constituted from a student perspective and how these aspects might be related to university students’ learning experiences. The purpose of this paper is to explore key aspects of e‐learning that might be related to university student approaches to study, so that a better understanding of the internal structure of these aspects is achieved. Student responses to surveys are analysed at the level of each item to identify which items made the most sense to over 200 third‐year economics students. Data was also analysed both at the variable level, to identify which items coalesce to determine the structure of e‐learning variables, and at the student level, to see if there were groups of students in the sample that shared similar experiences of e‐learning when it was used to support a predominately campus‐based learning experience. The results suggest several implications for improving particular aspects of the student experience of e‐learning when it is used to support a campus‐based experience.