E-Learning Effectiveness and Efficiency in Kassala and Gedaref Universities: An IS-Impact Evaluation

Abstract

In low-resource settings with intermittent power and connectivity, e-learning must translate technical and informational qualities into institutional value. This cross-sectional study evaluates how e-learning creates organizational impact in two Sudanese public universities (Kassala, Gedaref) using the IS-Impact model. Survey data from N = 412 students and faculty were analyzed with covariance-based SEM (WLSMV). Model fit was good. System Quality (SQ) strongly predicted Information Quality (IQ), and both IQ and SQ improved Individual Impact (II); in turn, II strongly drove Organizational Impact (OI). Direct paths from SQ/IQ to OI were non-significant, while indirect effects via II were substantial (e.g., IQ→II→OI = 0.41; SQ→II→OI = 0.16), indicating a full/semi-full mediation pattern. Connectivity and electricity reliability amplified quality→II links, underscoring the importance of engineering for uptime and low-bandwidth delivery. Results were invariant across roles and universities. Implication: institutions should prioritize editorial pipelines that raise IQ, harden SQ for mobile/low bandwidth, and invest in reliability measures (offline caching, micro-servers, basic power backup), monitored through actionable KPIs. Institutional approvals were obtained. Index Terms— IS-Impact; E-learning; System Quality; Information Quality; Low bandwidth; Sudan.