How Digital Learning Can Improve Students’ Satisfaction (Satisfaction) At the University of Sydney

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Institution Affiliation

Introduction

Digital learning indeed a fundamental disruptive learning technology with the established capacity to ultimately transform the manner the higher education system is provided and delivered. The effective implementation of digital learning has propagated the delivery of online courses, which are rapidly emerging the delivery method of choice for numerous educational programs, particularly at the graduate and professional education level. Consequently, online enrolments have grown exponentially over the years in comparison to the general college population. This has been spurred by the increase in the population of students undertaking at the minimum one course in developing nations in a higher magnitude to the increasing education population. As digital learning continues to spread rapidly, gain popularity and approval across the world, it is necessary to evaluate how digital learning can improve students’ satisfaction and overall performance at the University of Sydney.

Digital Learning in Australian Institutions of Higher Learning

When Australian institutions of higher learning began offering and delivering online courses virtually two decades ago, a degree of apprehension and uncertainty was evident. According to Callaghan (2018), promptly after the introduction of online courses in Australian universities, countless questions were posed by the institutions. Would the disruptive learning technology work? Would students value the platforms? Could tutoring-by-computer deliver a parallel complexity as face to face teaching? The response to the above questions is indisputable, yes. According to a survey by Grattan Institute, one in every five domestic students study online. The cited represents a 25% increase in the statistics over the last decade. The institute correspondingly documents that 13% of students undertake a multi-modal study program where they take some course rudiments online, and other face to face, whereas about 45% embark a part of their courses online. Furthermore, aside from learner engagement- where online students inform less contentment compared to their on-campus peers- studies establish that digital learning or off-campus learning results to better scores on the majority measures of learners’ fulfillment as evident in a study carried out in Vietnam (Pham, Limbu, Bui, Nguyen & Pham, 2019). For such, the transition has compelled course designers such as the University of Sydney to be more innovative in the manner they approach digital learning.

The University of Sydney is dedicated to the constant augmentation of the students’ learning experience besides examining means to be more creative. Canvas is the key digital learning platform in the institution where students can find extensive information and resources for their study units (The University of Sydney, 2020a). Similarly, all the institution’s learning and teaching are currently conducted online via the canvas amid the COVID-19 pandemic (The University of Sydney, 2020b). Moreover, the institution established a “Centre for Research on Learning and Innovation” to provide a foundation for the institution’s research on both education and innovation (The University of Sydney, 2020c). The center was developed from the “Computer Supported Learning and Cognition Centre (CoCo),” the “Sciences and Technologies of Learning” research system with strong pedigrees from different faculties in the institution, as well as administration department.

To establish how digital learning can enhance learners’ satisfaction at the University of Sydney, a survey was conducted on the institution’s ICPU unit to obtain data on the various faculties that apply online learning, the digital platforms utilized, and their satisfaction level with the platforms. The survey comprised of a sample population of 30 students who were asked of their overall satisfaction with the existing digital learning platforms- Canvas. More than 70% of the students acknowledged that the disruptive online learning technologies- Canvas and Zoom- were highly effective during the ongoing epidemic. The platform’s convenience and support for high-quality learning programs increase the students’ contentment with instructors’ performances and course quality.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a premeditated planning instrument employed by organizations or individuals to identify their “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and the threats” linked to business competition, thus the acronym- SWOT. It is difficult to precisely map out an organization’s future without formerly evaluating it from all the possible angles. The features mentioned above a meticulous exploration of all its internal resources, external resources threats (Sarsby, 2016). SWOT analysis principally assists organizations in establishing a comprehensive awareness of all the aspects involved in making a decision. Most importantly, the tool enables firms to realize recommendations and approaches appropriate for leveraging the strengths and opportunities to overcome the established weaknesses and threats in the firm.

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INTERNAL STRENGTHS W INTERNAL WEAKNESS

Links instructors and students.

Facilitate communication between instructor and student

Contains information on institutional syllabus and course for all learners

Hosting a large volume of online and learning materials (Selleo, 2020).

Assignment submissions

Grade monitoring Technical failures or issues during use.

Confusing zoom features.

User error since not all instructors are tech-savvy.

O EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES T EXTERNAL THREATS

Canvas is the fastest growing learning management platform.

Canvas makes education more effective, efficient, and interactive.

It simplifies teaching, promotes learning, and eradicates the struggles of supporting and increasing learning technologies. Giant competitors such as Blackboard, inteVISTA, D2L.

Conclusion

Digital learning is vital to the long-term advancement of institutions as established by the increased demand for off-campus (online) courses than on-campus or face to face learning. The presence of digital learning platforms such as Canvas in the University of Sydney inarguably satisfies students learning as indicated in the survey conducted for the platform’s convenience, availability of vast learning materials, and liaison between instructors and students.

References

Callaghan, R. (2018). Digital learning on course for growth. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/digital-learning-on-course-for-growth-20181119-p50gy1.html

Pham, L., Limbu, Y. B., Bui, T. K., Nguyen, H. T., & Pham, H. T. (2019). Do e-learning service quality influence e-learning student satisfaction and loyalty? Evidence from Vietnam. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 16(7), 1-26.

Sarsby, A. (2016). SWOT Analysis. Lulu.com

Selleo. (2020). Canvas LMS – Pros & Cons. Retrieved from https://selleo.com/blog/canvas-LMS-pros-and-cons

The University of Sydney. (2020a). Current Students: Learning in Canvas. Retrieved from; https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/canvas.html

The University of Sydney. (2020b). Flexible study: Decide how and when to study. Retrieved from https://www.sydney.edu.au/study/study-options/postgraduate-courses/flexible-study.html

The University of Sydney. (2020c). Centre for research on learning and innovation. Retrieved from; https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/our-research/centres-institutes-and-groups/centre-for-research-on-learning-and-innovation.html