Constructs of E-Learning Towards Customer Satisfaction among Distance Learning Students in Ghana

The purpose of the study was to find out the key constructs of e-learning towards customer satisfaction of distance learning students in Ghana. Four hypotheses were formulated for the study. A cross-sectional survey design that adopted the quantitative research approach was used. A sample size of 420 was selected using convenient sampling. Data was analysed with SPSS. Spearman’s correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the hypotheses. The study revealed that course flexibility and learners’ interaction with others were the major factors that positively impacted customer satisfaction. Therefore, the study recommended that time schedules for online courses should be “rigid free” and not subjected to strict times which are unpleasant for learning and discussions. The study concluded that to continue enabling marginalized and disadvantaged students to access distance-learning education, policymakers need to hear the voices of distance-learning students on course flexibility and learners’ interactions.

In Ghana, tertiary institutions mostly practice distance education (DE) (private and public).It is primarily distinguished by the availability of several study centers with study materials (modules), where instructors conduct biweekly in-person lessons with motivated students on weekends. 16Ghana's example is unique in that there is little virtual engagement related to distance education, in contrast to other educational jurisdictions where using virtual devices to engage and communicate with students is commonplace.Bangert-Drowns et.al., interprets e-learning as an instructional technique that fosters student-centeredness and self-learning through communication and interaction over the internet.17Elearning is currently thought to be a trend in distance learning. 18According to Freeman et.al., elearning occurs in a setting where instructors and students are geographically separate. 19Modern technology and ICT tools are used in e-learning to create, develop, and provide instruction without regard to place or time constraints.In assessing teachers, course designs, and an educational program's overall quality, student satisfaction is important.Therefore, the management of educational institutions should be significantly impacted by an awareness of the aspects that affect e-learning.Numerous academics have long examined the primary variables (drivers) of e-learning and customer satisfaction in Ghana. 20espite this, only a few people have looked into it from the viewpoint of idling e-learning users, or distance learners.This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by identifying the components of e-learning that contribute to customer satisfaction among Ghanaian distance learners.The study sought to find out if the various constructs of e-learning have a significant relationship with customer satisfaction among distance learning students in Ghana.

LITERATURE REVIEW Theoretical Model
This study relies on the expectation and confirmation paradigm and the technology acceptance model by Fulk et.al., Bates and Chou et al., 21 Several scholars with backgrounds in marketing, psychology, and information systems have used and accepted both confirmation and technology acceptance models with constructs that discuss e-learning systems.Moreover, Johnston et.al., indicated that the main elearning constructs were examined from the perspective of the learners using the e-learning customer satisfaction model of Sun et.al. 22This paradigm has made it easier to comprehend how e-learning increases consumer happiness.It has been used in a wide range of studies including "E-learning success determinants; An empirical study in Brazilian" 23 and the "level of satisfaction of using elearning systems." 24The model proposes four dimensions of assessing the drivers of e-learning satisfaction from the students' dimension, instructors, course dimension, and environmental dimension.For this study, four dimensions are used to assess the effectiveness of e-learning among distance students.The four dimensions are the Student dimension: learners' attitude toward computers (LAC) and learners' internet self-efficacy (LISF).Course dimension: e-learning course flexibility (ECF).Environment dimension: perceived interaction with others (LPI).

Learners' attitude towards computer and e-learning
This clarifies how students view their participation in computer-based e-learning activities.Numerous studies have revealed that views toward computers among students, whether positive or negative, affect interest and, eventually, customer satisfaction. 25Therefore, the initial hypothesis is to confirm this claim.The relationship between learners' views regarding computers and e-learning has been extensively researched in the conventional learning environment, where interactions between students and instructors occur directly in physical classrooms on campus. 26Information and communication technology (ICT) breakthroughs are altering many industries, including higher education. 27E-learning is becoming more and more popular in higher education as a result of the availability of a variety of teaching and learning options for instructors and students due to computer-based learning apps.Raab et.al, also indicate that e-learning is a cutting-edge approach to delivering educational services that makes use of computers to improve students' knowledge, skills, and other outcomes. 28Based on the above literature review, the following hypothesis is made: H1: Learners' attitudes towards computers will positively influence e-learning.

Learners' internet self-efficacy and e-learning customers satisfaction
Learners' internal perceptions of the internet and its features are reflected in their level of internet selfefficacy.When students consider their chances of succeeding when using the internet. 29The learner's degree of internet self-efficacy will have a significant impact on their ability to complete any elearning-related assignment.Internet self-efficacy has been linked to increased student happiness, according to many academics. 30H2: Learners' Internet self-efficacy will positively influence perceived e-Learner customer satisfaction.

Course flexibility and e-learning customer satisfaction
This clarifies how students view the flexibility of the course in terms of timing, location, techniques, participation, and satisfaction with e-learning activities.It has been suggested by a number of authors, that course flexibility will favorably impact e-learning performance and pleasure. 31The fact that parttime distant learning is still seen as a necessary and inevitable more flexible study option than fulltime in-person high education is a tiny irony.Of course, to some extent, it is because students can study whenever they choose (within the constraints of assessment deadlines) and do not have to 'attend' in person.Whatever, it is also clear that more and more "full-time" offerings (however that term is construed) are embracing a mixed approach in order to provide pedagogical flexibility.Whether the values of these institutions are driven by the market or by their mission, flexibility proponents call for institutional transformation in order to implement more adaptable systems and pedagogies. 32ollowing the gaps and claims raised from the literature review, this is the hypothesis to be tested: H3: Course flexibility will positively influence e-learning customer satisfaction.

Learners' perceived interaction and e-learning customer satisfaction
On online learning platforms, e-learners connect, converse, and ask questions more frequently, which increases their pleasure. 33The extent to which students connect with other people or learning resources in a virtual environment or arena enhances learning methods. 34Numerous researchers contend that these results are accurate. 35The following hypothesis is to be tested in response to the gaps and assertions made by the literature review: H4: Learners' interaction with others will positively influence perceived e-learner customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction
When a customer uses a particular kind of good or service, they have a specific objective in mind.He/she anticipates a particular level of performance from the chosen good or service.when the client reaches the desired outcome (customer satisfaction).Customers will lose interest in a product if none of its performances meet their specific needs (customer dissatisfaction).Once they focus on unexpected values, motivational traits will result. 36Customers follow specific expectations during service, as was previously said.In actuality, each product consists of a set of values that the client contrasts with the expectations he or she has for the product.They will be satisfied if the values meet their expectations.The process of a customer's knowledge and evaluation of their experience using a product or other service is known as customer satisfaction, according to the definition given above. 37ustomers are satisfied in a variety of ways, including with a product's fundamental qualities, its outstanding performance qualities, and how they engage with it when they are in need of it.Customer satisfaction has been explored in a variety of ways, but the idea that it is an evaluation of a particular transaction made after the customer has made their choice seems to have gained the most traction. 38According to Mohammadi, contentment is the consumer's response to fulfillment; it is an appraisal of a product or service that is being delivered and a way to determine if the amount of fulfillment is satisfactory or not. 39Bates defined customer satisfaction as the degree to which customers feel that a product or service met their needs and expectations. 40Customer satisfaction is defined as the difference between expectations and actual views of service performance level as expressed by the consumers themselves.

Dependent variable
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework on e-Learning towards Satisfaction Source: Author's construct, 2022 Reviewing relevant literature related to the construct of e-learning towards customer satisfaction among distance learning students in Ghana helps to explicitly explain the relevant terms associated with the theme.Key concepts and empirical evidence that best explain e-learning satisfaction and performance were thoroughly discussed.

METHODOLOGY
A cross-sectional survey design was used for the study.Primary data was obtained with the aid of standardized instruments [questionnaires] while secondary data was obtained from the extant literature.The study's objectives precipitated a post-positivism philosophical worldview which was adopted.
Post-positivism holds the view that even though human beings cannot perfectly understand a phenomenon, researchers can approach this by subjecting it to hypothesis testing, collection of data,

Learners perceived Interaction with others
Course flexibility E-learners' satisfaction and analysis.Considering the research objectives which are aimed at identifying key constructs that influence results (action or behavior), the choice of this philosophical paradigm is justified with the adoption of a quantitative method approach.The population target was all distance learning students in the Central region of Ghana, specifically; at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) and University of Cape Coast (UCC).These two universities were chosen because of their outstanding ratings in terms of structures, policies, and frameworks that govern distance learning in Ghana. 41The estimated number of students enrolled in distance education for the various tertiary institutions is shown in the table below.The convenient sampling technique was used to select 420 students from the two universities.The study first contacted the two universities through their director of distance learning, who granted approval for the commencement of the data collection.Furthermore, the authors also sought the consent of the students before allowing them to voluntarily join the study.They first assured participants of confidentiality and anonymity of responses before administering the questionnaires and allowing them to voluntarily join the study.Overall, 420 questionnaires were distributed to participants from the two universities, and 396 responses were retrieved (approximately 94% response rate).The IBMS SPSS statistics 25 was used for the statistical analysis.Spearman's correlation and multiple regression analysis were used for data analysis.The data set was extracted in Microsoft excel format and entered into SPSS software for editing and coding.

Correlation Analysis
Correlation relates to examining the relationship strength between the independent variables (Learner attitude towards computers, Learner internet efficacy, Course flexibility, and Learner perceived interaction with others) and the dependent variable (Satisfaction and performance).Spearman's correlation matrix was used to determine the correlation between variables.The strength or weakness of the relationship is normally determined by the R-value.According to Creswell, the correlation is normally considered weak when the r value is less than 3, moderate when is between 3 and 6, and strong when it's above 6. 42Table 2 revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between all four independent variables and the dependent variable ranging from an r value of .248 to .660.Course flexibility recorded the highest correlation (r = .660,p <.001).Learner perceived interaction with others (r = .618,p<.001).Learner attitude towards computer (r = .383,p< .001).Learner internet self-efficacy (r=.248, p<.001).There was a positive relationship between learner attitude towards computers and e-learning customer satisfaction.Thus, educational institutions can offer relevant computer training for all of their e-learners in order to educate them on the need to have a positive attitude towards computers.Again, there was a positive relationship between learner internet self-efficacy and e-learning customer satisfaction, thus when students use e-learning they become satisfied and perform well when they are abreast with the internet and its features.Management and stakeholders of distance education should adopt a system where e-learners could be trained on the use of the internet without complication and recommendations could be made to them on the browser and website that is student-friendly.
The study revealed that there was a positive relationship between course flexibility and elearning customer satisfaction.Thus, customer satisfaction and effective performance of the e-learner are derived from how flexible he or she can access the course with or without combining it with other learning activities.Again, educational institutions should enable that course design is relatively flexible for the e-learner to participate.Then, there was a positive relationship between learners' interaction with others through e-learning leading to customer satisfaction.This means that e-learners will be satisfied and perform very well if they can easily interact, discuss and get feedback on their questions.Student to student, student to tutors/instructors should be constructively effective.

Hypothesis testing
Regression analysis was used to measure the degree of relationship between independent variables and dependent variables.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Results from the regression analysis indicated that two (Course flexibility and learner-perceived interaction with others) variables are statistically significant and also have a positive relationship with e-learning customer satisfaction.The results also evidenced that 57.4% (Adjusted R 2 =.157, F-value = .760,P < .001) of e-learning satisfaction and performance can be explained by those two variables.The predicted formulation that emerged from this output is as follows; Y = 0.23+0.516x1+0.356x2Y = E-learning leading to customer satisfaction X1 = Course flexibility X2 = Learner perceived interaction with others.Again, course flexibility positively influences e-learning leading to customer satisfaction (with an unstandardized coefficient of 0.516 and being significant at a 5% level).The positive relationship means if course flexibility increases by 1, e-learning increases leading to customer satisfaction by 0.516).Moreover, Learner perceived interaction with others positively influences e-learning customer satisfaction of e-learners (with an unstandardized coefficient of 0.356 and is significant at a 5% level).The positive relationship means if leaner perceived interaction with others increases by 1, e-learning customer satisfaction increases by 0.356).
The first hypothesis addresses a statistical relationship between learners' attitudes toward computers and e-learning satisfaction and performance.The above analysis shows that learner attitude towards computers has a positive significant influence on e-learning customer satisfaction (β=.338, p=.000).This means that if e-learners develop a likable attitude towards computers and learn the features on their computers, then e-learning satisfaction will increase.This is in line with previous studies by Fulk et.al, and Bates) that computers among students, whether positive or negative, affect interest and, eventually, customer satisfaction. 43Moreover, this is consistent with that of Bates and  Chou et.al., studies that revealed that information and communication technology (ICT) breakthroughs are altering many industries, including higher education and E-learning is becoming more and more popular in higher education as a result of the availability of a variety of teaching and learning options for instructors and students due to computer-based learning apps. 44he second hypothesis also predicted a relationship between learners' internet efficacy and elearning customer satisfaction.As per the discussion of findings from the study learners' internet efficacy has a significant influence on e-learning customer satisfaction (β=.248, p=.000).This means that if e-learners will appropriate time and learn to become effective in the use of the internet and its features, their e-learning customer satisfaction will significantly increase.From this angle, the findings of this study are also similar to those of earlier studies by Raab et.al, and Chou et.al.which focused on internet efficacy in general and placed an emphasis on the relationship between an online system and service quality and consumer happiness. 45The key e-learning service quality features, specifically, are system quality, information quality, and service quality, additionally, this supports research that despite the fact that they concentrated on the effectiveness of e-learning systems and the caliber of e-learning services. 46he third hypothesis of the current study predicted a positive relationship between course flexibility and e-learning customer satisfaction.The findings revealed that course flexibility has a strong positive significant impact on e-learning customer satisfaction (β=.660, p=.000).This means that if courses are structured with flexibility, thus e-learners can easily engage with the course and other activities, and then e-learning customer satisfaction will increase.The present study is also in confirmation with the findings that the quality of e-learning services is linked to the flexibility of the course structure leading to service quality attributes. 47Bates discovered that student feedback regarding the quality of their e-learning experience revealed that the course's flexibility with regard to the course material was the most crucial factor. 48As a result, Allen and Seaman created a five-factor scale to evaluate the quality of the content provided to distance learners using web portals.Usability, content flexibility, information sufficiency, accessibility, and engagement were the five criteria.Of these five elements, content flexibility had the greatest impact on the development of the second-order factor (overall service quality). 49he fourth hypothesis of the study focused on the relationship between learners' interaction with others and e-learning customer satisfaction.The findings indicated that learner's interaction with others also has a strong positive significant influence on e-learning customer satisfaction (β=.618, p=.000).What this means is that if e-learners can easily discuss, interact and communicate with colleagues and tutors effectively, then e-learning customer satisfaction will increase.These results support the claim made by Allen and Seaman that, when compared to other factors like technology control, teaching style, student computer proficiency, interactive collaboration, course content, design, access, infrastructure, and support, instructors' attitudes toward interactive learning were the most crucial success factors. 50This supports the claims made by Fulk et.al.and Bates that, when students take online classes and do not have direct contact with faculty members (tutors) then teaching is distorted and feedback plays the most significant role in interaction breakdown. 51Additionally, this supports studies by Allen and Seaman and Bates that found that the volume of interactions between instructors and students had a substantial impact on students' evaluations of the timeliness and quality of instructor comments.52

Practical Implication
The study has brought to light the essence and value of learners' attitudes towards computers, learners' internet self-efficacy, course flexibility, and learners' perceived interaction with others towards elearning satisfaction.It is expected that educational institutions must adapt and expand distance learning by focusing on these areas as indicated in the study.Also, the introduction of distance learning must be centered on course flexibility and learner's interaction with others which are the key drives to e-learning customer satisfaction.Then, educational directors, management of educational institutions and other stakeholders engaged in e-learning activities must ensure that course flexibility is the major drive to e-learning leading to customer satisfaction, students who enroll in e-learning programs should be allowed to select from myriad time schedules that will best suit his or her engagements.The course arrangement should not be extremely rigid where there is a fixed limited time to start and time to finish an online course.This exercise may be revised at times goes on depending on the administration and educational setting.
Furthermore, consistent usage on the e-learning platform should be designed for active interaction with other users on the platform.Implementers of e-learning policies should include time schedules solely attributed to discussions, questions, and answers.Students should at least once a while have a time period with their instructor where they only come and ask questions and discuss their pleas on the platform.

Limitations and Future Research
However, this study also has some limitations.Firstly, data were collected from only two universities in Ghana.Although these two universities have experienced over 10 years of distance learning and are two prestigious universities in Ghana, the generalization of this study's findings to other universities in Ghana or universities in an emerging country should be made with caution.This study focuses only on factors that constitute overall e-learning and customer satisfaction, which focused on the Student dimension: learners' attitude toward computers (LAC) and learners' internet self-efficacy (LISF).Course dimension: e-learning course flexibility (ECF).Environment dimension: perceived interaction with others (LPI).E-learning may be influenced by additional elements, which need to be considered.Future research, for instance, could look at how these characteristics moderate the relationship between student satisfaction and loyalty, and the quality of the e-learning service.

CONCLUSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS
To improve e-learning activities, there must be policy implications by the Ministry of Education, and universities offering distance learning such as the University of Cape Coast, and the University of Education, Winneba to design policies that focus more on course flexibility and learner-perceived interaction with others (students and course instructors).It is imperative that Universities offering distance learning introduce various methods and forms for students to learn through distance learning.This study pioneers the contributions to the research literature on e-learning with an emphasis on course flexibility and learner-perceived interaction with others (students and course instructors) for an accurate and efficient evaluation of learning progress.