STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF E-LEARNING WITHIN A BLENDED LEARNING COURSE IN A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN LEBANON

Educators have been provided by the recent technological development with opportunities to experiment with and develop innovative educational methods and new teaching ways. Thus, educational institutions have recently witnessed a remarkable development in the Internet technology, which has promoted E-learning as an extensive learning method. Nevertheless, the integration of such a new virtual education approach in institutions where students and staff have long been used to traditional teaching methods requires careful planning. Research to limit the influence of the challenges related to E-learning implementation is needed. The purpose of the current study was to examine the students' perceptions of E-learning within a blended learning course in a private university campus in Lebanon. The study was conducted with thirty-two students. A questionnaire was designed to assess the students' views about the particular features integrated in the course E-learning component, referred to as Blackboard. The results revealed that the majority of students have not had previous experience with E-learning methods. Generally, the findings showed a lack of students' satisfaction with their overall E-learning experience. In addition, there is a significant preference for traditional face-to-face methods over E-learning. Handouts and Content and Weekly Schedule were perceived to be more useful than other features like My Grades, Weekly Journal, and Discussion Board. A small majority believes that the Blackboard allows them to be active learners while it is perceived to be more useful for giving a detailed overview of students' work and grades and for sharing their ideas with their peers. A vast majority agrees that the grading system and the assessment tools are not efficient and that there are many technical inconveniences in the Blackboard. Finally, a slight majority agrees that the Blackboard is not much helpful to have discussions and the content can be found elsewhere.