Evaluating e-learning web site quality in a fuzzy environment

A quality evaluation model based on the MCDM to measure the e‐learning Web sites' performance is presented and it is expected that the method could be useful to the e-learning service providers and system developers, as well as to the researchers related with Web research.

Abstract

The proliferation of the Internet and World Wide Web applications have created new opportunities as well as new challenges for institutions and individuals who are either receiving or delivering education. E- learning, one of the most important developments in education, recognizes the shift from teaching to learning and puts the learner or user before the institution. The objectives and expected outcomes of e-learning are largely dependent on the quality of the teaching processes and the effectiveness of online access. Web site quality is a complex concept and its measurement is expected to be multi-dimensional in nature. Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques are widely used for evaluating and ranking such problems containing multiple, usually conflicting criteria. This paper presents a quality evaluation model based on the MCDM to measure the e-learning web sites’ performance. In addition, the subjectivity and vagueness in the assessment process is dealt with fuzzy logic. The study has investigated 10 worldwide and 11 locally successful web sites with the proposed method. It is expected to be useful to the e-learning service providers and system developers as it suggests an aggregate measure of e-learner prioritized web site quality criteria and to the researchers in related with web research.