Flexibility and Usability: Focal Point of Graduate Students’ Knowledge Level of The Features of SAKAI Learning Management System

Abstract

Coupled with the global pandemic (COVID-19) and technological advancement, the SAKAI learning management system (LMS) was initiated to deliver synchronous, asynchronous, blended instruction to break the artificial boundaries towards delivering quality education. This requires students to acquire the requisite knowledge to develop self-regulated skills to navigate through inbuilt features of SAKAI LMS to ensure usability, flexibility, and accessibility. To ascertain the usability, flexibility and accessibility of the SAKAI LMS, this study sought to examine the knowledge level of graduate students on the features of SAKAI LMS. The cross sectional survey design was used to gather data. Using the SAKAI LMS, the systematic sampling technique was used to sample 209 students drawn from the six (6) schools within the three colleges of the University of Ghana. A close-ended questionnaire on a three-point Likert Scale was employed to elicit information on respondents’ knowledge of the features of the SAKAI LMS. The study’s findings revealed that the respondents possessed a low level of knowledge on forum tools, lesson tools, quizzes and assessment tools, resources tools as well as chatroom tools of the SAKAI LMS. However, there was a significant difference between the level of knowledge of the features of SAKAI LMS across genders, but there was no statistically significant difference in the level of knowledge of the SAKAI LMS across the age and college of affiliation of respondents. Based on the study’s findings, university management needs to organise some SAKAI LMS training and orientation for at least three days to enable students to acquire the requisite knowledge and understanding of the different inbuilt features of the SAKAI LMS. Through this exercise, respondents will build and develop self-regulatory skills. This is because the SAKAI LMS can become beneficial if respondents possess the mastery of knowledge to control and monitor their traits of metacognition as they engage with the SAKAI LMS.