Identifying and ranking the challenges of learners in virtual education and improvement of human resources (case study: Shahid Beheshti University)

Distance education is one of the most important criteria of education; organizations believe that it has important role in human resource (HR) education. However, there are some challenges in implementing distance learning in the organisations' HRD (Human Resource development) departments. The current study seek to identify and rank the challenges that confront distant learners in organizations. In order to do so, a sample of 115 employees of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran who attended virtual training through the last year were selected and engaged in the study. Reviewing the literature on e-learning challenges and critical factors, the main questions of a questionnaire were extracted and written. Analyzing the data has been gathered by those questionnaires, the final list of the intended challenges was identified, categorized, and ranked as following: Educational, Infrastructural, and Cultural challenges. The implications of the current study on how distance education can be properly used in HRD is also discussed and outlined in the paper.