This article presents the findings of a systematic review of perceived usability of educational technology systems. The research was conducted after studying, organizing, and analyzing the results of 104 research papers evaluating perceived usability of educational technologies using the System Usability Scale (SUS). The results were organized on the basis of (a) the usability score obtained when using the SUS, (b) the type of educational technology used, (c) the subject being learned, (d) the level of education, (e) the type of participant, (f) the age, and (g) the number of participants in each survey. Statistical analysis in all surveys (N = 170) demonstrated a good level of usability but with some issues (M = 70.09, SD = 12.98). The categories of Internet platforms (M = 66.25, SD = 12.42), university websites (M = 63.82, SD = 16.52) and affective tutoring systems (ATS) (M = 68.87, SD = 7.30) seem to have a good usability level according to SUS, preceded by mobile applications (M = 73.62, SD = 13.49) and multimedia (M = 76.43, SD = 9.45). Moreover, SUS scores were not found to be significantly related with participants’ age (r = 0.017, p = 0.931, ns), stage of education (p = 0.539, ns), or the type of participants (p = 0.639, ns). Furthermore, the subject being learned (p = 0.038, s) and the number of participants in each survey (r = −0.259, p = 0.001, s) seem to relate to the obtained SUS scores. Α slight, statistically insignificant improvement is noted in the perceived usability over the years (p = 0.182, ns). The findings of this review will serve as a useful reference guide for educational technology designers, practitioners, and teachers.

Perceived usability affects greatly student’s learning effectiveness and overall learning experience, and thus is an important requirement of educational software. The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a well-researched and widely used questionnaire for perceived usability evaluation. However, surprisingly few studies have used SUS to evaluate the perceived usability of learning management systems (LMSs). This paper presents an empirical evaluation of the SUS questionnaire in the context of LMSs’ perceived usability evaluation. Eleven studies involving 769 students were conducted, in which participants evaluated the usability of two LMSs (eClass and Moodle) used within courses of their curriculum. It was found that the perceived usability of the evaluated LMSs is at a satisfactory level (mean SUS score 76.27). Analysis of the results also demonstrated the validity and reliability of SUS for LMSs’ evaluation, and that it remains robust even for small sample sizes. Moreover, the following SUS attributes were investigated in the context of LMSs evaluation: gender, age, prior experience with the LMS, Internet self-efficacy, attitude towards the Internet and usage frequency of the LMS.

Given that educational technology has increased tremendously, usability testing is a necessity to maximize the efficiency of technological tools in education. The findings of a systematic review including 42 research papers that evaluated the educational technologies’ perceived usability with the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ) and the Computer System Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ) are presented in this article. The results were categorized according to the following factors: (a) score derived from evaluating usability with PSSUQ/CSUQ, (b) type of educational technology employed, (c) subject studied, (d) educational stage, (e) participant type, (f) age, and (g) participant count in each survey. The usability levels were found to be satisfactory (M = 72.75, SD = 15.12) from the statistical analysis of all surveys (N = 58). The mobile applications category showed a very good mean PSSUQ/CSUQ score (M = 81.53, SD = 12.61) followed by the multimedia category with 73.89 (SD = 19.69) and internet platforms (M = 73.23, SD = 7.74). The educational stage (p = 0.01) and the participant type (p = 0.005) seem to relate to the obtained PSSUQ/CSUQ scores. However, the participants’ age, the subject being studied, or the participant count in each study did not exhibit any significant correlation with the PSSUQ/CSUQ scores. Over the course of time, a marginal non-statistically significant improvement was noted in terms of perceived usability (p = 0.136).

Perceived usability is an important requirement of educational software, affecting greatly student's learning effectiveness and overall learning experience. Although the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire is considered as a de facto standard for perceived usability evaluation, surprisingly, few studies are reporting results from evaluations related to Learning Management Systems (LMSs). In addition, given that the questionnaire comprises 10 questions presented in English, its applicability in studies involving speakers of other languages is questionable. In this paper, a first step towards standardization of a Greek version of SUS in the context of LMSs perceived usability evaluation is reported. To this end, three studies involving 280 university students in both blended and distance learning education were conducted. Analysis of the results demonstrated the validity and reliability of the Greek version of SUS.