Perception of e-learning among hungarian engineering students

Abstract

The success of developing e-learning is determined by curriculum quality, the availability of technological requirements and, to an even greater extent, by user response to the technology introduced in the process. Digital enhancement of education through e-learning solutions should also take the unique attributes of the targeted local region, institution, target group and field of expertise into consideration prior to implementation. The paper reports on research conducted to understand the approach of engineering students (n=94) to e-learning supported by Moodle in Hungary, including computer use, evaluation of e-learning materials, systems and online exams. The research used an online questionnaire for exploring the motivation and restrictive factors of using e-learning. Survey findings confirm that e-learning functions primarily in a complementary way to traditional learning. 87.2% of the students in the sample just download the learning materials and use those offline often or regularly. 58% of them find the usefulness of e-learning materials good, but structure or aesthetics is evaluated weak or moderate by more than half of the respondents. Considering the exams, 38% of the students with previous experience in online exams prefer the traditional exams, while 25% prefer the online format. Since access to technological tools and services required for effective e-learning is available, continuous training of the teachers and tutors is necessary both for developing their everyday skills and recognizing the LCMS opportunities.