An exploratory study of the enablers, barriers and challenges of Learning Management Systems in Australia and China

Learning technologies play an essential role in how vocational education and training (VET) is delivered by teachers in our post-secondary institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the benefits of integrating learning management systems (LMS) into VET institutions' teaching and learning environments. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the impact of unique educational environments on the effectiveness of LMSs from the perspectives of the two main actors in education delivery: teachers and students. Many theoretical models, such as the universal theory of the acceptance and use of technology, attempt to explain the factors that influence user engagement with technology. However, when applied to an educational context, these models do not adequately incorporate the diversity of learning conditions inherent in each individual institution of learning. This thesis addresses this gap by exploring two unique and contrasting deployments of LMSs by public VET institutions: one located in Australia and the other situated in China. By contrasting the different circumstances of technology-enhanced VET delivery in these two institutions through the lens of teachers and students, this thesis identifies the enablers, barriers, and challenges to the effective integration of LMS technology into VET delivery systems. The methodology adopted to explore these issues is a mixed methods convergent design embedded within a case study framework. Data for this study was collected from semi-structured video interviews of AVET teachers (N=11), AVET students (N=7), CVET teachers (N=7), and CVET students (N= 10); online responsive surveys distributed to AVET teachers (N=35), AVET students (N=18), and CVET students (N=107); and records of student interactions with AVET and CVET Moodle databases. This approach enabled the triangulation of the three diverse data sets (interviews, surveys, and secondary LMS data) to develop rich interpretations of LMS efficacy issues at each institution. These issues are categorised into 36 themes in nine categories. Each theme is associated with both enablers and barriers to student and teacher engagement with LMSs. There are 107 enablers and 67 barriers identified in this thesis. There are also seven challenges to LMS implementation, representing opportunities for improvement, identified in this thesis. These challenges are encapsulated in a model called the LMS Enhancement Circle that aligns the seven challenges (security, teaching, learning, content, user interface, institution, and training) to improvement recommendations that target specific attributes of the LMS environment for enhancement.