Evaluating the Effectiveness of e-Learning Platform and Conventional Learning: A Case Study in Moodle
Abstract:
Following the World Health Organization's (WHO) declaration in March 2020 that the COVID-19 outbreak had become a global pandemic, the world witnessed a peak period of school closures across numerous nations. At its height, 192 countries had suspended in-person classes, impacting over 90% of the global student population. During the pandemic, many students spent the majority of their time at home, reducing their frequency of going out and thereby altering their previous study habits. While students typically attend classes on campus, the pandemic necessitated a shift toward staying at home and utilizing digital learning as a substitute. A defining characteristic of digital learning is that it liberates learners from the constraints of time and space, allowing them to study autonomously and according to their own preferences. Furthermore, driven by advancements in internet speeds and the widespread application of web technologies, online instruction and learning have become increasingly prevalent. This study investigates how learning outcomes vary based on different instructional methods—specifically, by examining students' experiences utilizing digital learning platforms versus traditional classroom settings, and by analyzing how instructors employ the Moodle digital learning platform. The primary objective is to determine whether the application of the Moodle digital learning platform can effectively enhance learning outcomes within a course on Statistical Analysis. This research employs a quasi-experimental design. The study participants were students enrolled in the Department of Information Management at a university of science and technology in Hsinchu City; notably, none of these students had previously utilized a digital learning platform to study the course on Statistical Analysis Applications. For this study, a single class was selected and divided into two groups: one group utilized the Moodle digital platform to assist instruction (the experimental group), while the other employed traditional teaching methods (the control group). Following a 15-week implementation period, the students in both groups were assessed to determine whether there were significant differences across four major dimensions of learning effectiveness: Reaction, Learning, Behaviour, and Results. The research results indicated that the F-values for the different learning modes across the four dimensions—Reaction, Behaviour, Learning, and Results—were 3.333, 1.776, 1.551, and 1.488, respectively. The corresponding significance (p) values were 0.950, 0.210, 0.239, and 0.248; none of these values reached the conventional significance level of p < 0.05. This suggests that there was no significant difference in learning effectiveness between the learning mode utilizing a digital learning platform and the traditional teaching mode.
