IS Success Model in E-Learning Context Based on Students' Perceptions

1. INTRODUCTION Both undergraduate and graduate courses are experiencing a migration away from the traditional classroom and toward a greater emphasis for electronic delivery of content (Allen and Seaman, 2008). This trend cuts across all departments and schools in the university system but is especially critical in business schools, since the preparation of students for successful business careers will rely on the students' abilities to accurately assess the quality of and rapidly adapt to the changing systems that reflect radical technological advances. The Information Systems Success (ISS) model focuses attention on the information and system quality of specific IT systems. The expanded use of electronic means of course delivery results in different IT systems in which students develop various views of the system quality and information quality that may affect their educational outcomes. In a graduate online information management course, feedback provided in the e-learning environment affected student satisfaction, the typical outcome measure for the ISS model (Rossin, et al., 2008). Feedback, in the context of an e-learning environment, is a measure of the information quality provided by the instructor during course delivery. In addition, the perceived balance of challenge and skill necessary to be successful in the course also affected the satisfaction with the course. The balance of challenge and skill necessary for the online delivery of the e-learning experience is a measure of the system quality. Information quality can also be electronically delivered and assessed by individuals with an information system being absent from the process. In a business environment, the information needs of managers in different functional areas are critical aspects during the evaluation of information and subsequently its quality (Beard and Peterson, 2003). For students, information needs may vary from course to course as well as among various homework assignment styles (e.g. quizzes, short-answer questions, and case studies). The concluding goal of this study ends with a discussion of how an information system can facilitate the delivery of the required information. While the ISS model is used in many instances, a basic assumption of the model is one of voluntary use by the user. This assumption is incorrect in the context of university e-learning courses where usage of the system is required to complete the coursework. Usage of a non-voluntary system is not without its parallels in industry. The implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for many companies requires the usage of these systems by employees. This industry need has translated these requirements into ERP system courses (Davis and Comeau, 2004). Since the usage of e-learning systems in academic settings is not voluntary, the application and possible changes to the ISS model to an online course environment is a necessary and critical extension of the study of information systems. This study applies the ISS model to study e-learning systems (ELS) in the context of individual impact for a student online environment. The remainder of this article presents the ISS model with its standard constructs. The methodology used to assess the study is reviewed. The data analysis and results are then addressed. Finally, a discussion of the conclusions along with limitations are presented. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW The ISS model (DeLone and McLean, 1992) is among the most influential theories in predicting and explaining system use, user satisfaction, and IS success (Halawi, McCarthy, & Aronson, 2008; Guimaraes, Armstrong, & Jones, 2009). The ISS model can be used to assess ELS success due to the solid theoretical foundation and the numerous, successful empirical studies. The base ISS model consists of six constructs or dimensions: (1) system quality, (2) information quality, (3) systems use, (4) user satisfaction, (5) individual impact and (6) organizational impact. …