Factors that mediate the success of the use of online platforms to support learning: the view of university teachers

Abstract

AbstractThe goal of this research is to analyze the factors that mediate the success of the use of online learning support platforms, based on the perceptions of a focus group of university professors, with a qualitative methodological approach. The sample consisted of 11 mathematics professors who taught three subjects to 9 240 incoming students, during seven semesters between 2018 and 2021. Through open coding, 17 factors were identified that mediate the success of the online learning support platform. Through axial coding, 5 categories were determined that summarize the relationships between the different factors, namely: obstacles, impediments that teachers must face when teaching; teacher contribution, factors that indicate the added value that teachers find in the classroom from the implementation of online training; student, reception given by students to the online training; reinforcement, factors related to the medium used to develop the online training; platform, factors related to the strategy itself and how to improve it. Finally, through selective coding, it was possible to integrate and redefine the central categories, obtaining as a result an implementation model of the online platform, which can explain and contribute to the success of other similar experiences at the university level.