LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DIMENSIONS AND ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION IN NAIROBI METROPOLITAN REGION, KENYA
Onditi Eddy Onyango - Kenyatta University, Kenya
Nzuki David - Kenyatta University, Kenya
Maina Muuro - Kenyatta University, Kenya
Mutuku Morrisson - Kenyatta University, Kenya
Araka Eric - Kenyatta University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Despite the many educational technologies, the reality of a large gap in access to higher education is a global issue. Higher education institutions employ Learning Management Systems (LMS) to aid the achievement of target 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many institutions are using LMSs, but more critically, several researches do not discuss how the dimensions of learning management systems impact access to higher education. Adoption of LMS has been fast, but the problem of access to higher education still persists. This study analyzed the dimensions of Learning Management Systems (LMS) including user engagement, content personalization, organizational support, and content quality, and how they impact access to higher education in universities found in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region of Kenya. The study relied on the Technology-Organization-Environment framework, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the DeLone and McLean Information System Success Model, PEST A (Pedagogical, Equitable, Systemic, Technological, Accessibility) and other empirical studies. The approach used was quantitative, and data was collected by sending online structured company questionnaires to LMS users in the selected institutions. The sampling technique employed was stratified random to represent the several groups. At the end, 170 responses were collected, which represented an 85% response. The dimension of LMS accounted for 64.9% of the total access to higher education, as revealed by the regression. The authors found a positive and significant relationship between personalized content and higher education access via e-learning (β = 0.312, p < 0.05). Positive and significant relationships between personalized content and user satisfaction (β = 0.287, p < 0.05) were also detected. A positive effect of organizational support was noted on higher education access (β = 0.254, p < 0.05). The quality of content was noted to have the greatest positive effect (β = 0.421, p < 0.05) on access to higher education. The combined effects of user satisfaction, personalization of content, quality of content, and supportive organizational systems accounted for 68.4% of the challenges and obstacles to accessing higher education via e-learning (R² = 0.684). Therefore, the proposed recommendations are expected to enhance higher education access for various stakeholders, including policymakers and researchers. The study supported the call for the adoption and use of personalized learning systems, the enhancement of user satisfaction, and strengthened organizational systems and e-learning content in order to enhance the quality of e-learning content.