Mapping e-learning policy in higher education: Global perspectives and emerging trends

This paper explores worldwide researchers’ perspectives on e-learning policy in higher education, focusing on an approach that examines English-language and Chinese-language literature, which elucidates the intricate nature of e-learning policy. Despite a number of studies on e-learning policy in higher education context, few have considered using two linguistic databases (English and Chinese) for evaluating global perspectives on e-learning policy. To make sure that the review was composed systematically, the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis was utilized, four English (Scopus, ERIC, Google Scholar, & SAGE) and three Chinese databases—China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library, and Airiti Library—were used to screen pertinent studies for analyzing. Authors reached a consensus on coding 60 studies into six categories, which encompass perceptual, portraying, theory, literature reviews, comparative study, and discourse analysis. The review reveals a clear focus on theoretical articles in both English- and Chinese-language literature, with these articles being the most common across six segments. To further explore emerging trends on e-learning policy research, three primary themes and 19 sub-themes are identified from 60 studies. Implications for advancing future research are outlined.