Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of Distance Learning Systems: A Literature Assessment

Numerous e-learning systems have been established in the past decades, which are evolved from the private or institutionalized system into an open and global system, and depends on the social and technological environment. The aim of this study is to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) of distance learning systems from the perspective of students. An extensive study from the past nineteen years' works of literature was accomplished to determined 45 distance learning systems' CSFs that were distributed into 6 categories. The first category includes the investigation into students' ability and needs. The second category is the factors that an instructor must-have. Online learning contents' characteristics are the third category. The fourth is focus on the requirement of the technology infrastructure and its capability. Finally, support was distinguished into two main categories, such as system support and institutional management support. The results of this study give perspectives into the factors that should be considered, by an educational institution anywhere around the world, when developing a successful distance learning system.