Evaluation of Online Learning Activities of Accountancy Students Based on LMS Logs.

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to identify the patterns of the interactions made by students of the Department of Accountancy, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka with the Learning Management System (LMS), and hence discover new knowledge for decision making. Data from the LMS of a sample undergraduate courses (two) and a sample diploma courses (two) of similar nature were selected. Data were collected through activity log reports from LMS for the second semester of academic year 2015/2016. The data were then analyzed based on the pattern and behavior of students’ interaction with the online content of the courses. According to the findings of the study, majority of undergraduate logs represent resource view, while next highest represent the course view. This pattern is common for both undergraduates and diploma students. Daily average use of LMS shows an important trend where undergraduates use LMS at an average rate during the first month of the semester and usage improves by the middle of semester. When it’s closer to the examination, LMS usage drops considerably. Diploma students show a different behavior, where in the mid of the semester, LMS usage drops drastically and when it’s closer to semester end examination, usage improves. LMS usage by day of the week suggests that undergraduates log into the LMS when they have convenient internet access. Based on the findings, several recommendations are made to enhance the effectiveness of the existing services available with LMS and to design and add social connect modules to the learning experience.