Assessing e-learning readiness in the context of a higher education institution: Teaching staff perspective

Abstract

The lack of an adequate e-learning readiness assessment has been characterized as a major cause of e-learning implementation failure. Consequently, overcoming the challenges leading to such failure requires the academic institution to carefully assess its readiness and make improvements based on the identified weaknesses. In response to this requirement, this study primarily focused on assessing the level of e-learning readiness for a Saudi public higher education institution, considering the perceptions of teaching staff. A questionnaire-based survey method was employed to conduct this assessment. A total of 233 valid responses were analyzed. The results demonstrated that all readiness dimensions examined for the institution had a readiness level higher than the expected level of readiness (i.e., 3.41) and less than the lower limit of the highest readiness level range (i.e., 4.2 to 5). These dimensions related to the preparedness of five crucial components within the institution: teaching staff, technology, business processes, finance, and leadership. Based on the obtained results, it is necessary to improve certain aspects of these dimensions to enhance their contribution to the overall sustainable readiness of the institution. Accordingly, the study recommended several areas for improvement.