Determination of Learner Support Criteria for E-Learning Environments in the Context of Quality Standards

Supporting learners in many different areas such as pedagogical, administrative and technical areas in e-learning environments is important for maintaining attendance rates, success and satisfaction. The standards published by accreditation organizations are guiding in determining the scope of support to be provided to students in order to provide quality e-learning. This study aimed to examine the learner support criteria for e-learning environments in the context of quality standards from a sustainability perspective. The qualitative research method was used in the study and the data collected by document analysis were analyzed by manifest content analysis. In the first stage of the research, accreditation organizations publishing quality standards for educational programs and distance learning environments were researched and 15 accreditation organizations were selected according to the accessibility of the standards on the internet. In the second stage, the quality standard documents were scanned, and the sections related to learner support were separated and subjected to content analysis. As a result, ten dimensions of learner support emerged. These are technical training and orientation, socialization and interaction, evaluation and feedback, content and teaching material, research and consultancy, accessibility and ease of use, technical support, administrative support, security support, physical resource and financial support. In this context, suggestions have been made to make e-learning environments more qualified in terms of learner support. [This paper was published in: "EJER Congress 2023 International Eurasian Educational Research Congress Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2023, pp. 493-510.]