Development and Validation of a STEM Learner Experience Evaluation Model for Learning Management Systems in East African Higher Learning Institutions

Abstract Existing Learning Management System (LMS) evaluation approaches emphasise system quality, usability, technology adoption, user satisfaction, and system success, with limited attention to how learners experience LMS-supported learning within real educational contexts. This limitation is critical in East African higher learning institutions, where learner experience depends on institutional support, infrastructure, social conditions, pedagogical design, technical reliability, and discipline-specific learning requirements. Guided by Learning Experience Design (LXD) theory, this study developed and validated a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Learner Experience (LX) Evaluation Model for LMS-supported learning in East African higher learning institutions. The study used a mixed-methods design involving 871 STEM learners from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Mountains of the Moon University, Uganda. The model was developed through the integration of literature evidence, exploratory factor analysis findings, and qualitative findings from open-ended learner responses. It was then validated using Content Validity Index (CVI) procedures involving five experts in STEM education, digital learning, higher education pedagogy, and LMS-supported teaching. The validated model with no structural change comprises same seven dimensions: Institutional Support, Social and Family Support, Hedonic and Affective Experience, STEM Programmatic Support, Infrastructure Support, Usability and Ease of Access, and Technical Reliability. Expert validation confirmed the relevance, clarity, representativeness, completeness, and applicability of the model. The study contributes a validated, context-specific, and discipline-specific STEM LX Evaluation Model for evaluating and improving learner experience in LMS-supported higher education environments in East Africa and comparable resource-constrained settings.