Pros and cons of videoconferencing cyber course: Learning from a pilot project in Omani university

The use of the information technology (IT) tools including e-learning systems has become a main imperative in today's knowledge-based economy. Videoconferencing offers a cost-effect way for synchronous distance learning and enriches the learning environment. This study aimed to examine the learners' acceptance of videoconferencing cyber course by measuring their satisfaction and revealing its pros and cons. Data was collected from remote learners of a videoconferencing short-course, which was a collaboration project between a local university in Oman and a remote university in Korea. The remote cyber learners indicated that the course offered them an opportunity to experience videoconferencing in distance learning and acquiring new knowledge through efficient medium. The results demonstrated that the reliability of the videoconferencing technology, the course management, and the course content are major issues related to the deployment of videoconferencing technology in distance learning.