The Relationship Between Accessibility, Communication and Motivation Towards Online Learning

There are higher education institutions in Malaysia, which are at the stage of transforming from teacher-centred teaching in the classroom to a more learner-centred teaching environment. A number of innovations in teaching styles including the use of technology such as online websites, games, e-learning applications and so on will be introduced to improve the understanding of students. With the assistance of technology, various learning tools or techniques were introduced and incorporated into teaching and learning process. This includes the online learning environment, which supports synchronous and asynchronous learning. Regardless of the advantages that online learning offers, a variety of factors should be identified as crucial to the success of online courses such as motivation. It is a key factor in learning and achievement in online learning environments. This paper examines the relationship between accessibility, communication and motivation towards online leaning. A case study was conducted on 331 students of Universiti Teknologi Mara, Negeri Sembilan Malaysia. The results show that accessibility and communication are positively significant influence on students' motivation to learn online. Hence, online platforms for learning should be convenient for students to access with feedback support from instructors and peers. (C) 2016 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.uk