An evaluation of the factors that impact on the effectiveness of blended e-learning within universities

The inception of e-learning technologies has led to a tremendous increase in the use of e-learning systems to support blended learning in Universities by providing a mix of face-to-face classroom teaching, live e-learning, self-paced e-learning and distance learning. Despite the existing benefits of using e-learning, some higher education institutions have not utilized e-learning to its full potential and yet there are limited studies that offer a comprehensive framework for effectively using e-learning systems. It is therefore imperative that learning technologists understand the factors that influence the effectiveness of blended e-learning. An expert survey was conducted to establish which factors are important for evaluating the effectiveness of e-learning systems. This paper describes a methodological framework consisting of factors necessary for assessing the effectiveness of e-learning within Universities.