166 E-Learning in Iran: Perceptions of Key Peopleinvolved

The advent of E-learning has brought considerable changes in the educational system of many countries and Iran is no exception. E-learning provides an opportunity for e-learners to learn at their own speed, and style of learning. The advantages of e-learning are clear, but the important issue is how to improve the effectiveness of this mode of learning and to the satisfaction of users. The objective of this qualitative study was to determine the opinions of students, administrators, instructors and staff working at e-learning centers in Iran's universities, regarding the effectiveness of e-learning at their centers. Interviews with key informants and a review oflibrary documents were conducted for this study. The findings showed that the administrators of E-learning centers should make known their expectations from IT staff before the latter started their work. Students should be provided with clear information of what they were expected to achieve at the end of each E-course. Students should be taught on how to study using the available system and how to fully utilize all facilities provided. Also, there was a necessity for sufficient communication and interaction between instructors and students; instructors and IT staff; IT staff and administrators. More results are subsequently explained in the paper.