Cross-Cultural Differences in Perceptions of E-Learning Usability: An Empirical Investigation

E-learning is gaining momentum in corporate settings as an alternative and supplementary solution to learning and performance problems. Users of e-learning applications and courses differ across regional, linguistic, and country boundaries and user requirements are strongly influenced by their local cultural perspective. Thus e-learning design needs to be sensitive to cultural parameters. Yet, there are very few empirical studies that investigate e-learning design and usability issues from a cultural perspective. This study: (a) discusses the cultural considerations in human computer interaction and information systems research and the specificities of usability in e-learning context, (b) focuses on the usability evaluation of e-learning courses within an international e-learning pilot initiative. Employees from four user organizations representing four countries in South Eastern Europe participated as users of the e-learning courses and evaluated their usability. INTRODUCTION E-learning is a means for addressing learning and performance problems and has become an increasingly critical issue. The impact of e-learning has received extensive attention from practitioners and information system (IS) researchers. Nevertheless research in e-learning design for cross-cultural users remains minimal. New challenges in human computer interaction (HCI) are characterized by the increased focus on users, their idiosyncratic characteristics and reactions, and their changing needs (Hudlicka, 2003). This is also valid in elearning developments; the problem is that people differ across regional, linguistic, and country boundaries and user requirements are strongly influenced by their local cultural perspective. The increasing use of e-learning systems in different cultural contexts and observations that different people think in different ways put forth the issue of the degree to which the use of such systems is really a matter of culture. Catering for cultural diversity seems imperative for the design of e1497 Copyright © 2010, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Cross-Cultural Differences in Perceptions of E-Learning Usability 1498 learning courses or corporate technologies for international use. It has been claimed that Web site and e-commerce designs are western-culture and male biased. This is because the majority of the Web sites and e-commerce applications has been developed in western countries and has been used mainly by male users (Simon, 2001). The same can be asserted for e-learning designs. Gender and national cultures constitute a set of parameters that can influence in a great extent e-learning design and usability. This is the main aim of this study, which investigates the effects of gender and national cultures on e-learning usability perceptions.