Quality Requirements for Continuous Use of E-learning Systems at Public vs. Private Universities in Spain

Abstract

During the later years of technological innovation, e-learning systems have demonstrated to be an effective way to improve educational quality and overcome time and place constraints. Virtual communication, instruction and evaluation have become an important part of the higher education. However, although e-learning has been implemented extensively, its operation and success might differ between organisations, due to institutional capacity and resources. With this in mind, the objective of this research is to distinguish between public and private universities, in the sense of the e-learning system quality and the perceived institutional support, as means to achieve users’ intention to continue using e-learning. Analysing the information from 270 Spanish teachers and students in e-learning systems at public and private universities, we concluded that information, service and educational quality determine e-learning continuous use at public universities, while perceived institutional support acts as a mediator between the information and educational quality and the continued use, in the case of the private universities. Valuable recommendations for higher-education institutions’ management suggest that innovative tools for interaction and organisation, cooperation of public and private universities, and investment in technology and human resources, are vital for continuity of e-learning systems.