Determining Challenges in the Application of E-Learning in Agricultural Extension Services in Iran

The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) in Iran, considered the necessity of e-learning in agricultural extension for training extension agents as human resources that are working in extension centers throughout the country and have direct interaction with farmers, because they understand that traditional education is no longer effective. As a result, understanding challenges for e-learning in Iran’s agricultural extension centers is crucial for creating the new opportunities for extension agent to give and update their information. By using an extensive framework for challenges of e-learning, this paper sets out to identify which of these challenges are most salient for e-learning in agricultural extension. A quantitative approach is taken to identify the most important factors. The research population included all the graduate extension agents throughout the country (N=2745). Using the stratified sampling technique and the results from the pilot test, 400 extension agents were surveyed. A questionnaire was developed and distributed by mail across the country and data collected from 379 returned questionnaire. Using ordinal factor analysis classified factors into six major challenges in the following areas: financial, technical, supporting services, regulatory, cultural and human factors. In this paper these challenges will be discussed and solutions suggested.