Critical success factors in e‐learning ecosystems: a qualitative study

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the critical success factors for sustainable e-learning in an e-learning ecosystem framework. Three critical components of the e-learning ecosystem including principles and methods, processes and systems, and substance and content are considered based on a comprehensive review of the relevant literature in e-learning. Design/methodology/approach – Systematic interviews are conducted with experts in e-learning for identifying the critical success factors to sustainable e-learning within an e-learning ecosystem framework. This leads to the development of an e-learning success model that describes the underlying relationship between and among the identified critical success factors. Findings – A comprehensive analysis of the interview results shows that there are several barriers to the effective adoption of the proposed e-learning success model for improving the effectiveness of e- learning. These barriers include a lack of understanding of the technologies behind various pedagogies, insufficiencies of the popular learning management systems, and the sustainability of the learning objects repositories. Research limitations/implications – The paper highlights the criticality of synergizing the three components of e-learning ecosystems namely pedagogies, technologies and management of learning resources for achieving a sustainable e-learning success. Practical implications – A better understanding of these barriers would help e-learning stakeholders develop appropriate strategies and policies for the implementation of the proposed e-learning success model towards creating a sustainable e-learning environment. Originality/value – Specific contributions of this research to the entire e-learning community are discussed with recommendations for concerted policy measures to eliminate the identified barriers in the process of adopting the developed e-learning success model.