The Role of e-Learning Platforms in a Sustainable Higher Education: A Cross-Continental Analysis of Impact and Utility

Cristina Gavrus, Ioana Madalina Petre () and Dana Adriana Lupșa-Tătaru
Additional contact information
Cristina Gavrus: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Ioana Madalina Petre: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Dana Adriana Lupșa-Tătaru: Department of Management and Economic Informatics, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: The development of higher education worldwide must be integrated in the context of sustainable development in order to ensure environmental sustainability, social sustainability, and economic sustainability. Knowing that the digitalization process within higher education institutions is continuously expanding, while the digital tools and online learning environments enhance accessibility, flexibility, and efficiency, the purpose of the present paper is to highlight how the use of e-Learning platforms can help sustainable education development from the point of view of students from two universities: a university from Romania and a university from the USA. In order to reach this objective, a quantitative research method was used, aiming to identify the students’ opinion on a series of facilities offered by e-Learning platforms that serve as the learning process. Data processing and analysis were conducted by means of specific tests supplied by the SPSS software. The obtained results showed that Moodle users spend approximately 26% more time on the platform than Blackboard users, with a small effect size (d = 0.284), while non-engineering students spend approximately 45% more time on the e-learning platform than engineering students, also with a small effect size (d = 0.458). The evaluation of the efficacy of different educational resources varies based on the e-learning platform used, with a large effect size found for editable files (d = 1.017) and PPT or similar formats (d = 1.2). Also, the efficacy of various applications on the e-learning platform varies by platform type, with a large effect size observed for two-way student–teacher communication (d = 0.819), self-assessment grid tests with immediate feedback (d = 1.072), synchronous online meetings with teachers (d = 1.117), and access to information from previous years (d = 0.89). We conclude that institutions should prioritize platform adaptability and student engagement strategies when implementing e-learning solutions for sustainable development.

Keywords: sustainable development; e-learning platforms; higher education; students; university (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/3032/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/3032/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:7:p:3032-:d:1623273

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().