Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal

Vol. 10, No. 3 (2018 Special Issue)

Learners’ Satisfaction and Academic Performance in

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Universities in
Malaysia
JegatheesanRajadurai
College Business and Accounting, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia .

Noryati Alias
School of Education and Cognitive ScienceAsia e University, Kuala Lumpur

Amar Hisham Jaaffar

College Business and Accounting, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia .

Wan Noordiana Wan Hanafi*

College of Graduate Studies (COGS), Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia .
Email: [email protected]

* Corresponding Author

Abstract
Purpose: The focus of this paper is to identify learners’ satisfaction and performance levels in an
online learning environment at the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) universities in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach: 2283 valid questionnaires were completed by three batches of
undergraduates. The responses revealed a significant correlation between the learners’
performance and satisfaction with the learning materials, assessment management, academic
facilitation, the services provided by the universities and the promptness of their responses. The
stepwise regression analysis indicated that services and assessment management significantly
influenced learner performance.
Findings: All the independent variables had means between 3.210 and 3.647. This indicates that
the learners were satisfied with their usage of learning materials, assessment management,
academic facilitation and the services provided by the universities. However, only two variables
were related to learners’ performance, namely assessment management and services rendered by
the universities.
Research limitations/implications: Future studies should consider the inclusion of other
variables such as the availability of alternative modes of enquiry and refining the items use to
measure the variable in this study. The study could also engage a longitudinal method of data
collection and be administered on a broader population involving all faculties and program
levels.
Practical implications: This study suggests to policy makers and academic leaders that they
should continue to provide the current excellent level of support in the form of resources and
services but they need to find creative ways to engender better performances by their learners.
Originality/value: Earlier models of distance education used to be centered on correspondence
courses, audio-based courses and video-taped lectures. These models are being updated with

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internet or computer based models. Consequently, there are different challenges in the delivery
of ODL programs today. Hence, a learner’s demonstrated success in a conventional delivery may
not adequately predict his or her success in an ODL program. Understanding the performance of
present day ODL programs’ success factors will allow new ODL universities, or brick and
mortar universities in the process of transforming to blended learning, undertake the necessary
steps to ensure the success of their ODL programs.

Keywords: Open and Distance Learning (ODL) universities, Malaysia, Learners’ Performance,
Learners’ Satisfaction

Introduction
The advent of Information Communication Technology (ICT) has transformed the way tertiary
education programs are delivered today and created a different learning experience for tertiary
students. The delivery of tertiary education has broken away from the mass production,
conventional academic centred chalk and talk model, to a leaner-centred approach supported by an
advanced technological-centric delivery model. In this era, innovations in technology have
resulted in new trends in learning environments and introduced more modern concepts of learning.
From traditional face-to-face learning, technology has transformed our education in a positive way
and introduced us to the concept of e-learning (i.e. digitally delivered learning) (Maarop and
Embi, 2016).

In preparing Malaysia to become a developed nation by 2020, the transformation of the higher
education delivery process plays a pivotal role in ensuring Malaysians have access to knowledge
anywhere and at any time and that they have opportunities to embark upon life-long learning
journeys. With a burgeoning population of 34.3 million and the expected working population aged
15 to 64 years to reach 26.2 million by the year 2020, it is crucial that the issues of education and
employment are effectively addressed in the interests of the country. The use of printed materials
such as books and handouts are rapidly being replaced by the Virtual Learning Environment
(VLE), digital libraries, online journal articles and a variety of multi-media gadgets. These
developments are in line with the National Education Blueprint 2015-2025 for Higher Education.
They act as enablers of the blueprint by complementing life-long learning initiatives, globalizing
online learning and transforming higher education delivery (Ministry of Education, 2012).

Although formal, conventional education in universities and colleges in Malaysia continues to be

an important component of the national education system, they appear more suitable for learners
studying full time. However, human capital development can also be increased through
educational opportunities for ordinary working citizens to further their education. The current
online learning programs, already in place, provide new avenues for the workforce to gain
knowledge, skills and competencies when studying part time. In addition to conventional learning,
online learning has a role to play in developing skilled and knowledgeable workers who are much
needed in the employment market. This is especially true when the existing workforce is required
to enhance its knowledge in order to remain sustainable and employable in the workplace. The
universities designed to assist and address the needs of the working citizens of Malaysia are
classified as ODL universities.

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Online learning has become a significant part of higher learning in the United States of America
(USA), as well as other parts of the world including Malaysia (Allen and Seaman, 2013; Tahar et
al., 2013). In other words, the use of online learning as a delivery method is in line with two of
the seven principles proposed by Chickering and Gamson (1987), which are "encourage learners
to engage in active learning" and "encourage contact between learners and faculty”. A small
number of studies conducted by investigators seeking to identify the dimensionality of learner
satisfaction with online learning have emerged in the past few years (Dziuban et al., 2015).
While prior studies have focused primarily on face-to-face teaching environments, online
learning has provided a new dynamic and has re-energized interest in the topic.

In conventional learning environments, learners have the advantage of two-way communication

and immediate responses from tutors or lecturers (Xu and Jaggars, 2014). Although online
learning may increase leaner’s flexibility, eliminate geographical barriers, improve convenience
and effectiveness for individualized and collaborative learning, it has some disadvantages, such
as a lack of peer contact and social interactions, the time consuming nature of developing
video/content materials, as well as the need for flexible tutorial support (Alraimi, Zo, and
Ciganek, 2015). Furthermore, learners in online learning may experience feelings of isolation,
frustration and confusion or reduced interest in the subject matter (Adams, Liyanagunawardena,
Rassool, and Williams, 2013). Due to its relative lack of structure, like any other courses offered
online, it was reported that learner performance was usually lower when compared to the
conventional learning mode (Atchley, Wingenbach, and Akers, 2013). Learners withdrawing
from their studies as a result of their poor performance may impact on the sustainability of ODL
universities. Thus, there is a need to study the leaner’s satisfaction (e.g. usage of learning
material, academic facilitation services, learning centers responsiveness and assessment
management) and its effect on the learners’ academic performance. Therefore, the objective of
this study is to identify learners’ satisfaction and performance in an online learning environment
in the ODL universities in Malaysia.

Literature Review
With great advances in the field, learners are considered, not as recipients of knowledge, but as
constructors of knowledge. The role of technology, from providing drill and practice (controlled
learning), has shifted to providing tools and a creative environment for learners to solve
problems (supported learning) (Molenda and Januszewski, 2007). Online courses are often
associated with the extensive use of technology. Some scholars believe that the format of a
course challenges or influences learner success (Dodds et al., 2014; Dunbar, 2004). Bates (2005)
points out that the terms ‘online learning’ and ‘e-learning’ are used interchangeably, but makes
the distinction that e-learning can encompass any form of technology, while online learning
refers specifically to the use of the internet and the web. Online learning programs offer
accessible education for a global community of learners with shared interests (McDonald and
Pereira, 2006).

A study by Wolff, Wood-Kustanowitz, and Ashkenazi (2014), also found that learner
performance has a positive relationship with variables such as assistance with assessments by
facilitators, hours spent studying and not being involved in paid work and on-the-job training.
When comparing online with conventional modes of delivery, learners found that there were no

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differences in their performance (Adam, Nel, Adam, and Nel, 2009; Alwagait, Shahzad, and
Alim, 2015; Morris, Wu, and Finnegan, 2005; Wolff et al., 2014). Nevertheless, there are a
myriad of studies of learner satisfaction in relation to factors connected to performance such as
technology, course quality, internet efficacy and timely instructor response online tools and the
use of blackboard LMS in online learning (Finger, Sun, and Jamieson-Proctor, 2010; Small,
Dowell, and Simmons, 2012).

Research on academic facilitation, which is similar to teaching online, has been ongoing and the
results have been fairly consistent. Anderson, Liam, Garrison, and Archer (2001), have
suggested that when there is strong support by facilitators, the collaboration results in more
positive outcomes for learners. In other words, facilitators are the initiators who encourage
online learner activities that eventually lead to better performance. The characteristics of the
online learning environment inspire learners to obtain knowledge and advice from various
sources, to apply the subject matter and acquire confidence in implementing the knowledge they
learn in a real world context (Bliuc, Ellis, Goodyear, and Piggott, 2011; Hsu, 2011; Smyth,
Houghton, Cooney, and Casey, 2012).

The importance of services in the form of basic amenities such as availability of the internet and
Wi-Fi facilities has a significant impact on the accessibility of learning materials at a university
(Altameem, 2013). This supports the study carried out by Wu, Tennyson, and Hsia (2010), who
postulated that support services in the form of easy accessibility and retrieval of course materials
and assignments were crucial for learners. However, if learners shun computer usage, it will
affect their performance since most of the learning and teaching is done online (Sun, Tsai,
Finger, Chen, and Yeh, 2008).

A study in the Malaysian context carried out by Wahab et al. (2014), fully supported the notion
that if learners perceive that if there is ease of usage of the iLearn (a combination of several
learning and teaching technologies such as Moodle and Blackboard that form a facility allowing
academics and learners to interact as part of a collaborative, flexible learning and teaching
experience), the learners’ academic performance can be marginally enhanced. There have been
other tools used by past scholars to measure learners’ performance, for example Cleveland and
Kvan (2015) used the Medical School Learning Environment Survey (MSLES) to measure
learner performance in medical schools in the USA. Among the dimensions used were medical
and practical interests, flexibility, learning experience, organization and learner interaction.
Though the correlation between the MSLES and learner performances was positive, it was small
and implied that no matter what the academic environment, the performance of learners,
especially in medical schools, remained the same due to other variables such as their attitude and
level of motivation to excel in their academic performance.

Sun et al. (2008) supported Chen, Lambert, and Guidry's (2010) study which revealed that a
variety of assessment methods and delivery processes can assist in not only satisfying the
learners, but also improving their performance. By having diversified assessments, learners are
challenged mentally and this may motivate and stimulate them. The studies also implied that a
combination of high quality teaching materials, course design and interactive discussion
arrangements lead to higher satisfaction. Consequently, greater satisfaction can lead to greater

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achievement. Satisfaction as a measure of success has been used by previous studies (Kauser and
Shaw, 2004). Besides, studies of three universities in Saudi Arabia by Darojat, Nilson, and
Kauffman (2015) reported that all the universities that they studied fully supported their tutors in
enhancing their skills, not only in terms of subject matter, but also in developing and designing
course material and assessments. This is similar to conventional universities where the emphasis
on teaching and learning is crucial, yet the non-academic staff in an online learning environment
has more complex responsibilities than traditional universities. The staff at the learning centers
provide the delivery of materials, linkages with multimedia communication corporations as well
as regional and local deliveries (Darojat et al., 2015). In addition, they have to assist in the
course material and organize learner bodies. Their responsibilities also encompass organizational
training workshops for assessment and tutoring for academic staff, learner registration and
providing financial assistance to learners. In most online learning environments, the non-
academic staff form a major part of the human resource component as most of the tutors are part-
timers.

Methodology
A quantitative cross-sectional survey was employed in this study. The survey was conducted at
all ODL universities in Malaysia that had consented to the study. Using a census method, the
questionnaires were uploaded into the universities’ learning system for in-service teachers who
were undertaking various undergraduate programs at the university to earn a bachelor degree.
This method of data collection was employed because it was reasonable to include the entire
population who were active e-learners during the three month period of data collection in 2017
(Fatemi et al., 2018). The survey was conducted online with the questionnaires being sent to
learners via the university portal, which is an e-learning platform. A total of 2283 responded
which represented 70 percent of the total population of in-service teachers enrolled in the
bachelor program. Twenty-four items were adapted from the work on e-learning (Britto and
Rush, 2013; Watkins, Leigh, and Triner, 2004) and grouped into five dimensions. The items
were designed to demonstrate the effect of the independent variables on the dependent variable.
The dependent variable in this research was the cumulative grade point of average scores
(CGPA) of learners earned at the end of the semester. This approach was used because other
researchers have used the measure and found it an acceptable one for measuring academic
achievement (Palaniappan, 2007). Besides, in Malaysia, researchers evaluate the learner
academic performance based on CGPA (Agus and Makhbul, 2002; Alfan and Othman, 2005;
Manan, Khaidah, and Mohamad, 2003). As for the independent variables, the items were adapted
from the sources in Table 1. A focus group discussion comprising 10 teachers enrolled in the
online program was conducted to establish the relevance of the items representing the variables
of the study in the context of the program delivered by ODL universities in Malaysia. All items
used in the questionnaire were found to be relevant in the context of Malaysia. A validity and
reliability test was undertaken and it indicated that the instrument was fit for use. In developing
the questionnaire, consideration was given to the ease of use and simplicity of the questions
(Zikmund, Babin, Carr, and Griffin, 2013). The instrument measured variables on a Likert Scale
of 4 points, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The operationalization of the independent
variables in this study lie within the scope description of these variables as shown in the Table 1.

Table 1: The Scope of Independent Variables’ Operationalization in This Study.

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No Variables Description Sources

1) Usage of Frequency of using resources pertaining to Roksa, Trolian,
learning online learning audio narrated power points Blaich, and Wise
materials presentation, video clips, reading assignment (2017);
and practice example and mock Raspopovic,
examination. Jankulovic,
2) Academic The coordination and face to face services Runic, and Lucic
Facilitation organized through the e-learning system of (2014);
the universities. Kim and Lee
3) Services The scope services for e-learning cover (2011);
fostering the interactions between other Lee (2010);
learners, use of the website, provision of Ipek, Mutlu,
technical support, online advising, online Martínez, and
early alerts and case management advice. Caruana (2008);
4) Learning Centers E-learning support systems that identify and Eom, Wen, and
Responsiveness interact with learners within an acceptable Ashill (2006);
time frame. Thorpe (2002);
5) Assessment Covers areas such as mock assessments
Management relating to knowledge, skills and abilities,
flexibility of taking the assessment and
assessments that incorporated Work-
Integrated Learning and Scenario Analysis
based on work experience.

Findings
Table 2 below summarizes the demographic profiles of the respondents. The sample also indicates
that female respondents represented a higher percentage of the total respondents (69%) when
compared to the male respondents (31%). With reference to their experience in teaching, the
samples indicated that those who had teaching experience of more than 22 years (31%) formed the
majority, the next group was between 15 to 18 years (22%) and less than 14 years formed the rest
of the group (47%). Most of the respondents were learners registered in the September Semester
2013 (42.59%) followed by those registered in the September Semester 2012 (36.77%) and the
rest were learners who registered in the March Semester 2012 (20.64%).

Table 2: Demographic Statistics (n=2287)

Frequency Percent
Registration March 2012 472 20.64
September 2012 974 42.59
September 2013 841 36.77

Gender Female 1581 69.13

Male 706 30.87

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Teaching 3-6 yr 40 1.75

Experience 7-10 yr 235 10.28
11-14yr 375 16.41
15-18yr 501 21.93
19-22yr 434 18.99
>22 yr 700 30.63
The reliability of the measurement items for all the variables, as indicated in Table 3 below, was
assessed by an internal consistency check. The Cronbach alpha from the test shows figures
between 0.78 to 0.84 which indicated that the instrument was stable and consistent and above the
cut-off line of reliability (Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994). Since content validity of the instrument
was taken care of earlier, no changes were required for any of the items.

Table 3: Reliability Test for the Various Dimensions

Cronbach's Alpha
Performance (Cumulative Grade Point Scores) 0.84
Usage of Learning Materials 0.80
Academic Facilitation 0.80
Services 0.79
Learning Centers Responsiveness 0.86
Assessment Management 0.78

The Pearson Product-Moment correlation extracted, as shown in Table 4, for all of the
five dimensions (academic facilitation, usage of learning materials, assessment management,
services and learning centers’ responsiveness) disclosed both a negative and positive correlation
at a significant 0.001 level. According to Dillon, Madden, and Firtle (1993) the Pearson
correlation coefficient (r) ranges between -1 and +1. Positive 1 indicates a perfect positive
correlation and the negative correlation indicates otherwise. As a rule of thumb, the correlation
coefficients that exceed 0.8 (very strong correlation) are likely to result in multicollinearity
(Berry, Berry, Feldman, and Stanley Feldman, 1985). For this study, the range of effect size is
small (Cohen, 1988; Cohen et al., 1993).

Table 4: Mean, Standard Deviation and Correlations of the Variables

Mean Std. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Deviation
1 CGPA scores 3.314 0.353 1.000
2 Usage of Learning 3.213 2.033 0.000 1.000
Materials
3 Academic 3.384 2.507 -0.009 0.530 1.000
Facilitation
4 Services 3.210 2.066 -0.055 0.598 0.598 1.000
5 Learning Centers 3.647 2.971 -0.017 0.393 0.372 0.525 1.000
Responsiveness
6 Assessment 3.259 2.344 0.007 0.646 0.655 0.609 0.425 1.000
Management

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Note: The number represents the correlation, Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)

Results of the correlation analysis indicate no violation of the assumption as the absolute value is
less than 0.8 which is an acceptable value (Berry et al., 1985). The highest mean was recorded for
learning centers’ responsiveness (M=3.647, SD=2.971), followed by academic facilitation
(M=3.384, SD=2.507). The other two variables; usage of learning materials (M=3.213,
SD=2.033) and services (M=3.210, SD=2.066) indicated slightly above average. The overall
mean for the Cumulative Grade Point average is optimistic with an average of 3.314.

Academic facilitation, services and learning centers’ responsiveness were found to have a
negative correlation with learners’ CGPA. The services (r= -0.055, p<0.001) has the highest
value but negative correlation with the dependent variables. In other words, if the learners’
CGPA is to be improved, the ODL universities should reduce their commitment to services,
learning center responsiveness and academic facilitation respectively. At the same time, the
assessment management should be increased to ensure greater potential for achieving higher
CGPA scores. The study also indicated that there is a lack of correlation between the usage of
learning materials and the learners’ CGPA scores.

The correlation analysis in Table 4 reveals a possible connection between assessment

management, services, learning centers’ responsiveness and academic facilitation respectively,
and the CGPA scores. Therefore, if there is a systematic change in assessment management, there
will be a systematic change in the CGPA scores. The same will occur for services, learning center
responsiveness and academic facilitation. This form of analysis does not determine cause and
effect because it does not consider the possibility of other variables that are not presented in the
research which could have impacted the CGPA scores. However, the researchers used this form of
analysis to establish if there was a link between the independent variable and the dependent
variable before investigating them together, since the independent variables use in this study were
drawn from a variety of sources and not just one.

Table 5: Coefficient of Variable

Model Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) 0.047 73.811 0.001
Services 0.004 -0.055 -2.641 0.008
2 (Constant) 0.055 61.186 0.001***
Services 0.004 -0.095 -3.600 0.001***
Assessment 0.004 0.065 2.469 0.014*
Management
***p<0.001, **p<0.01, *p<0.05
DV: Performance

Table 6: Assessment and Services Variables and Performance

R R2 Adjusted Std. Error R Square F Sig. F
R Square of the Change Change Change
Estimate
1 0.5 0.25 0.24 0.352 0.003 6.973 0.008

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2 0.64 0.41 0.39 0.352 0.003 6.097 0.014

***p<0.001, **p<0.01, *p<0.05
DV: Performance

Regression analysis was further carried out to establish the impact of all independent variables
when considered together on the dependent variable which is the CGPA scores. To determine
which of the variables had a critical effect on the performance of the learners that were measured
by their CGPA scores, a stepwise multiple regression analysis was then employed in this study.
A stepwise multiple regression was used because the authors were unable to establish a strong
underlying theory on which to base the model selection and they did not want to risk making
incorrect assumptions that can affect the results. The independent variables were selected from
different sources with different background settings. This method was utilized in view of the fact
that there were some explanatory items that might not have been relevant in making the
predictions for the learners’ performance in this case (Sekaran and Bougie, 2016). The
assumptions for stepwise multiple regression were conducted and reported to have no serious
violations. The tolerance statistics revealed that the entire variables under study were in an
acceptable range (cut off of 0.10 as suggested by Tabachnick and Fidell (2001)). Amongst the
five variables measuring the learners’ satisfaction with the university, two variables were
significant at p-value less than 0.05 that predict learners’ performance. The two variables that
were seen as vital impacts on learners’ performance were services rendered by the university
staff and assessment management. The result indicates that the higher the learners rated their
satisfaction with the assessment management, the better would be their performance (β=0.065,
t=2.469, p<0.05). The other variable, services rendered by the university staff, had a negative
relationship with the performance of the learners at (β=-0.095, t=-3.600, p<0.001). However, the
strength of the relationship between the two variables was 0.64as measured by R-value at p-value
of 0.05 as seen in Table 5. The coefficient of determination measured by R2 is 0.41(F=6.097,
p<0.05). It demonstrated that services rendered by the university staff and assessment of the
subjects taken in the degree program help to explain 41% of the variance in the learners’
performance. Given that the adjusted R2 is close to the R2 value, it indicated that no overfitting of
the model to the sample occurred (Hair, Black, Babin, Anderson, and Tatham, 2006, p. 216).
Clearly, the regression model fits the data very well. The R squared value drops by only 0.02 in
the adjusted R2 that signifies the acceptable cross validity of this model.

Discussion and Conclusion

An online learning environment is a move away from an instructor-centered education to a
learner-centered education (Abdulrasool, Mishra, and Khalaf, 2010). This study supports past
studies by Sun et al. (2008) and Thurmond, Wambach, Connors, and Frey (2002) indicating that
assessment management is positively related to the high performance of learners. In this study,
the learners agreed that the universities’ efforts to create mock assessments as an approach to
ensure their readiness to take assessments in terms of their knowledge, skills and abilities had
contributed to their high CGPA scores. In addition, the learners also agreed that the flexibility in
taking the assessments in terms of time management, self-discipline and on-screen reading and
recalling availability contributed to their high CGPA scores. The assignments were situational
and, therefore, enabled the learners to relate the tasks in the assignment to their working lives.

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The assessment methods were also aligned to their working lives which resulted in them being
graded favorably.

Services offered by support staff were found to be negatively significant in relation to learner
performance. The respondents believed that universities should reduce the following: their
fostering of interactions between other learners, use of the website, provision of technical
support, online advising, online early alerts and case management advice. These negatively
significant findings are not supported by Wahab, Othman, and Warris (2014) and Ciobanu
(2013) who suggested services provided to learners by the support staff and the learning portal
were related. The most likely reason for this difference is that the sample comprised in-service
teachers who are intelligent, motivated and being independent learners rely less on the services
provided by the university staff. Future studies could consider the availability of alternative
modes of enquiry such as experiments, archival data, observations and interviews. The study
could be administered on a broader learner population involving all faculties at the universities
and across all program levels i.e. undergraduate and postgraduate programs. This study could
also be replicated within other service industries such as health care, banking services and
insurance services that utilize online business transactions, by refining the items used to measure
the independent variables.

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