Investigating the Influential Factors of Learner Performance in Online Education using Learning Analytics Approach

Abstract

Online learning portals have become a crucial component of education systems worldwide. Despite offering benefits such as flexibility, accessibility, and convenience, virtual education also poses obstacles that contribute to a high dropout rate among online learners. These factors include poor time management, lack of motivation, difficulty adjusting to the virtual learning environment, and limited interaction with instructors and peers. To mitigate this issue we have to explore the factors that affect learners’ performance in online learning portals which will help in better design of these systems. This paper attempts to identify impact of geographical area, medium of study, sleep duration, login frequency, forum activity, and time spent on viewing online lectures and completing assignments on the performance of the technical students. The hypothesis were developed based on Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) and previous research to identify the relationships between various factors and academic outcome. To analyze our data and test our hypotheses, we utilized statistical techniques including two-sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA. Our results indicate that factors such as geographical area, medium of study, login frequency, forum activity, and time spent on viewing online lectures had a positive impact on learners’ performance, whereas sleep duration did not have a significant effect on performance. This study may be beneficial in enhancing learner performance in technical education by identifying the most critical factors that influence academic outcomes.