Investigating the Outcomes of Social and Individual Learning by Students’ Active Participation in the Learning Management System: A Casual Model

Abstract

Introduction: Learning Management Systems (LMS) of virtual universities have influenced multiple aspects of students’ lives. The present study aimed at investigating the relationship between the application of LMS, learning outcomes, and social learning from the viewpoint of Mehr Alborz University students. Methods: The population of this descriptive, correlational-casual study included 300 students of four different disciplines. According to Krejcie and Morgan’s table, a sample of 169 students was selected. The instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire, including 26 questions. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics of Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling (path diagram) with SPSS 21 and Amos 18 were used. Results: Results indicated that student’s engagement in the learning management system was significantly associated with social outcomes (P < 0.01), including socialization (0.65) and acculturation (0.47), and learning outcomes, including self-esteem (0.38), students’ life satisfaction (0.58), and performance proficiency (0.43). Moreover, the structural model showed that student’s LMS engagement had a direct effect on learning outcomes, and helped students acquire socialization and acculturation, both of which indirectly influenced learning outcomes to a great extent (CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.92, NFI = 0.94, GFI = 0.96, and RMSEA = 0.07). Conclusions: This study presented a new approach for educational institutions to verify the influence of peers. In other words, it provides supportive infrastructures to enable students to work in LMS social networks, and to increase interactions among peers. Furthermore, instructional designers can design educational practices on the basis of learning management systems, and benefit from these systems.