AMCIS2013 Andrien Zanier e-learning for the modern executive
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Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 1
Americas Conference on Information Systems AMCIS2013 Chicago
e-Learning for the Ambitious Brazilian Executive Completed Research
ABSTRACT
A Graduate Degree in a prestigious business school abroad is the goal of many Brazilian Executives. Unfortunately, there are
two admissions tests that need to be taken prior to enrolling in such school. The volume of material to study would make it
impossible to manage if not done with the help of a powerful e-learning tool. A specialized company based in Sao Paulo
developed a class format with WebEx focused on aiding these Executives on studying for the admissions tests and
succeeding in their educational goals. This article describes the results of an online survey conducted with students that
simultaneously use WebEx on 3 different continents. These results were analyzed from a Human-computer interaction
viewpoint in conjunction with non-functional Usability Requirements. This article demonstrates and reinforces the immense
potential that e-learning tools have for Business Executives in Brazil.
Keywords
e-learning, usability, open distance learning, efficiency, human-computer interaction
INTRODUCTION
In tandem with the Hyperconnected World theme, this article demonstrates the thoughts of ambitious Brazilian Business
Executives that are engaging in advanced e-learning education.
Since the partnership between MEC (Department of Education of Brazil) and the top Brazilian Universities in 2005 to
improve online educational efforts (Alves, 2011), a lot has been done to use the power of online information systems focused
on e-learning.
Starting in 2008 in Sao Paulo (Brazil), a specialized school for business education, MBA House, made a novel effort to cater
to a new form of student clientele: Brazilian Business Executives. Instead of simply relying on storage servers loaded with
inefficient databases of static files, MBA House adopted the use of an advanced and efficient e-learning tool called Cisco
WebEx.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this article is to assess if WebEx is perceived by its end-user, the MBA House students, as a useful and
satisfactory e-learning tool. In order to correctly measure the overall efficiency of WebEx, an online survey was utilized to
gather the end-user point of view, using as criteria non-functional Usability Requirements.
THE PROBLEM AT HAND
These Brazilian Executives main educational goal is to be admitted in prestigious Graduate Degree MBA programs (Master
of Business Administration) in the USA and in Europe. As a requirement for admission into these MBA programs, the
Executives must study for and reach a high score on 2 standardized tests, comprised of the GMAT or GRE and TOEFL or
IELTS. These standardized tests are structured with dozens of computer adaptive questions covering logical reasoning and
quantitative methods (GMAT or GRE) and English language proficiency (TOEFL or IELTS).
Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 2
Due to this fact, these Executives have a very large quantity of studying materials to memorize and master; including math
formulas, math rules, sentence structure and pronunciation of the English language. Clearly, for Executives to study at a
predetermined location without a present tutor is not a good idea, unless, they can utilize an efficient e-learning tool. The
Executives tend to study from the convenience of their homes or offices, and cannot be physically present at classes every
day.
As stakeholders of their educational goals, these Executives can suffer from the common loss of motivation created by the
inexistent face-to-face contact with instructors and productivity oriented moments with classmates. To counter this effect, a
high level of two-way interactivity provided by the e-learning tool is desired and necessary to improve the learning
experience even if the students on average have already 16-18 years of studying experience and are familiar with ODL (Open
Distance Learning) and its performance feedback functionalities (Dzakiria, Kasim, Mohamed, Christopher, 2013).
THE SOLUTION AT HAND
Fortunately, with MBA House adopting the use of WebEx, now these same Executives have a more efficient e-learning tool
to aid them study with probable higher rates of success (Driscoll, 2010).
Once these Executives graduate from their respective business schools abroad, they usually return to Brazil to accept high-
end managerial positions, contributing to the national economy with their newly acquired knowledge and graduate degree
skills. This fact is supported by the recent phenomenon as reported by several Universities across the USA (http_1, 2011).
This line of thought makes the present article relevant to such a novel subject.
As a Brazilian corporation and ODL provider, it is MBA House best interest to provide an e-learning experience that is
efficient and offers high rates of success when students have doubts or questions about the content that will be taught (Ruiz,
Mintzer, Leipzig, 2006).
WebEx offers many interactivity tools that can help this efficiency to be achieved: tools such as the real-time chat window,
the shared interactive board for the instructor or the student, the multi-user microphone capability, within others (Cisco,
2013). These interactive functions are a great help considering that instructors and students may not be completely at ease
when embarking on an e-learning venture (Dzakiria, et al., 2013).
E-LEARNING TOOL ANALYZED
Cisco WebEx Training Center was launched in its modern platform format in 2007 as a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service). It
combines synchronous real-time computer interface sharing with VoIP conferencing, so users can see the same content
displayed on the software interface (http_3, 2013).
A Corporation can subscribe to this SaaS in accordance to the number of online students it intends to have. WebEx offers
ways that the training tutor can control the computer screen or content displayed of other students. A training session can be
arranged by a tutor and later joined by the students with a single password and button click to confirm the interest in joining
the session (http_3, 2013).
E-LEARNING SCHOOL ANALYZED
The use of various Internet solutions that enhance knowledge and performance, improving the efficiency of educational
efforts is the purpose of e-learning. As opposed to standard e-learning classes, MBA House’s classes are created with a
predetermined topic (Math or English) and adapted to the level of knowledge of the present group of students attending the
online class. This demands a software solution that is reliable, permitting seamless connectivity and immediate information
sharing and visualization.
MBA House’s lectures are very spontaneous and a high level of tension can be present within the students and their tutor
during a class. There is a large dose of concern by the MBA House staff to maintain satisfactory student body motivation (M.
Ambrozio, phone interview, Sao Paulo, December 1, 2012).
At first, MBA House was concerned that a large amount of students in one training session at once would lower the
efficiency of the class being taught (Childs, Blenkinsopp, Hall, Walton, 2005), but with the proper training of the tutors and
the cooperation of the students online, the overall satisfaction level of the classes via WebEx was guaranteed (M. Ambrozio,
phone interview, Sao Paulo, December 1, 2012).
Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 3
LIMITATIONS OF THE ARTICLE
The author noticed that there is a lack of usability literature dealing directly with e-learning for this type of business model.
Due to this fact, some adaptation of concepts was inevitable. Some corporative information contained in this article may
seem commercially biased. Nevertheless, all efforts were made to extract the scientific contribution to the e-learning field.
Additionally, it was not this article’s intention to explain in detail what is e-learning and all its conceptual variations and
present educational ramifications.
DATA COLLECTION METHODOLOGY
One of the supportive purposes of this article was to allow the end-user of the e-learning tool to adequately judge the tool and
make their opinions voiced regarding certain criteria. With the goal of obtaining these opinions of actual students that use
WebEx in their daily study routines, an uncontrolled online survey was used. The questions were structured with a basis on
non-functional Usability Requirements. There were 8 questions in both English and Portuguese on the survey.
The survey was deployed via e-mail to a list of 200 matriculated students at MBA House. Most schools that utilize e-learning
never conduct a qualitative survey as to what their student body thinks about the tool that they are using (Galhardi, 2012).
The approach used in this article aims to exactly bridge this gap and contribute in a relevant manner to the scientific
community. This type of online survey tends to get more honest answers from the respondents, because these same
respondents are less inhibited by not having a physically present interviewer (Baldanza, Abreu, 2012).
The online survey was created with a template from the company Free Online Surveys (http_4, 2013). The link to the survey
can be found here:
http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s.asp?sid=knk5fwdbk1id4ek185711
NON-FUNCTIONAL USABILITY REQUIREMENTS
Usability is the characteristic that determines if a software interface can be easily maneuvered, quickly learned, provides
satisfaction and is efficient. The functional Usability Requirements describe what the software does. The non-functional
Usability Requirements describe the insertion (input) and presentation (output) of information via the software (Ferreira,
Leite, 2004-I). This article focuses only on the non-functional requirements. They are directly connected to Human-computer
interaction processes and are very important to the overall satisfaction of the software end-user. To aid the article on
measuring efficiency of an e-learning tool, Usability Specialists suggest a simplified taxonomy of non-functional Usability
Requirements for information systems (Ferreira, Leite, 2004-II):
Requirements for information output
Consistency
Visual presentation
Behavior
Proper use of colors
Use of icons for functions
Human-computer interaction levels
Visual resources
Minimization of mental-model load
Functional classification of commands
Exhibition of information that is relevant
Use of labels
Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 4
Requirements for information input
Help mechanisms
Error prevention
Orientation for data input
Flexible interaction
Possible customization
From this proposed taxonomy and additional comments below, it is possible to extract some requirements that can be directly
utilized to analyze WebEx and its interface performance:
There is a need for the software to be well designed in regards to its functions, navigation and imagery (Childs et al.,
2005);
General interface Usability of the e-learning tool has to favor student participation (Baldanza, Abreu, 2012);
A higher contrast of text and background color is desired such as blue, red and yellow fonts against a white
background (Hall, Hanna, 2004);
Simplicity in interface design can aid the beginner user of the software (Leporini, Andronico, Buzzi, 2004);
The Mental-model is achieved when the user understands how the software functions properly (Benini, Batista,
Zuffo, 2005);
INNOVATIVE E-LEARNING
The traditional method of e-learning via repository databases (Figure 1) was not sufficiently efficient for this type of student
clientele encountered by MBA House. It can be noted that there is no interactivity between users and that the content is static.
Figure 1. Traditional method of delivering content
The innovative method of e-learning via WebEx demonstrates that several non-functional Usability Requirements have been
taken into consideration when designing the interface and functions of the software. For data output it was made available
Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 5
dynamic “blue fonts” electronic writing on the whiteboard and “host” speaking function for instant feedback (Figure 2). For
data input it was made available a “multi-user chat” function for additional interactivity (Figure 3).
Figure 2. Demonstration of dynamic writing and speaking
Figure 3. Demonstration of chat function
For both data input and data output it was made available extensive use of icons such as “lift your hand” to get the attention
of the host/tutor (Figure 4) and “go back” to main menu and shortcut functions during an online class session (Figure 5).
Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 6
Figure 4. Demonstration of icon use
Figure 5. Demonstration of shortcuts use
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
A total of forty-three responses were received by the online survey on behalf of students who are currently enrolled at MBA
House (Figure 6). All participation was voluntary and all the respondents were working adults, with ages between 25 and 35
years old; from 9 different countries: Brazil, USA, Italy, England, Portugal, Spain, Chile, France and Belgium (Figure 7).
They come from various undergraduate educational backgrounds such as engineering, economics and business, and are
presently working in different sectors such as finance, manufacturing, law and commerce. All questions and answers were
inserted and commented as follows.
Figure 6. Online survey total responses
Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 7
Figure 7. Country of origin of responses
Figure 8. Questions 1 and 2 and correspondent answers
The majority of respondents (41 respondents) are satisfied with WebEx’s interactive functions, indicating that WebEx
suffices the requirement for data input (Figure 8). Also, the majority of respondents (41 respondents) mentioned that
WebEx’s color scheme of the whiteboard is useful, in accordance to the non-functional Usability Requirements taxonomy
and comments section of this article (Figure 8). Both of these thoughts are aligned with global trends as to the specified goals
an e-learning tool has to propose (Celik, 2012).
Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 8
Figure 9. Questions 3 and 4 and correspondent answers
As seen by the number of “Yes” answers (34 answers) for question 3 (Figure 9), it is important for the e-learning tool to
possess a practical access system as to consequently increase end-user participation simultaneously (Dobrilovic, Jevtic,
Odadzic, 2013). Most students (22 students) only access WebEx Training Center once a week to carry-out their studies with
MBA House tutors (Figure 9).
Figure 10. Questions 5 and 6 and correspondent answers
WebEx abides by several guidelines for font style and color for improved viewing and contrast (Vieira, Noronha, 2011). It
possesses well projected icons that can be quicker to use than word buttons, in accordance to the non-functional Usability
Requirements taxonomy and comments section of this article. Perhaps even if not fluent in the English Language an end-user
can benefit of this fact.
Also, various menus are automatically collapsible and help in increasing the visualization screen area. We can clearly see that
the students value the interactive functions of WebEx as demonstrated by the number of responses, considering the
Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 9
opportunity to interact with the tutors and their classmates to be one of the best efficiency features of WebEx. In regards to
overall efficiency, WebEx received a very positive vote from 42 respondents (Figure 10).
Prior to enrollment at MBA House, WebEx was still completely unknown for 74.4% of the respondents; demonstrating the
potential for growth of e-learning tools within other types of student clientele (Figure 10).
Figure 11. Questions 7 and 8 and correspondent answers
Surprisingly, 34.9% of respondents suggested that improvements in audio performance must be taken in consideration.
Perhaps the widespread use of laptops to study via WebEx can have negatively contributed if the Wi-Fi zones weren’t
properly assisted by strong internet signals (http_2, 2011). Contrary to mainstream trends of tablet use, only 1 respondent
consented to connecting to WebEx via tablet (Figure 11).
CONCLUSION
Since there is little material available directly in tune to the research presented here, the scientific community should continue
to pursue the work started in this article. As suggested future research, the author will perform an in depth Conjoint Analysis
of WebEx functionalities along with a new survey that has answers on a Likert scale. If technologies like WebEx continue to
evolve this way it is a sure indicator that e-learning will continue to evolve into a useful and efficient way of helping
Brazilian and Global Business Executives to reach their educational goals.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, the author would like to thank the school MBA House for their kindness in supporting the data collection. Second, the
author would also like to thank the company Free Online Survey for their free-of-charge survey functionality upgrade.
Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 10
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