Aim/Purpose
This study examines which student perceptions are most closely related to student recommendation of a course integrating the online learning platform Hellix.

Background
In Fall Semester 2025-2026, six English sections at the Jerusalem College of Technology were taught using Hellix, in an expansion of the university’s blended learning initiative from the previous semester. This study explores how usability, satisfaction, and perceived learning value of the learning plat-form relate to students’ willingness to recommend the course.

Methodology
At the end of the semester, students were invited to participate in a voluntary Google Forms survey. Of 48 submissions, 45 included verified student emails and were retained, representing almost half (46.4%) of the 97 students enrolled in the hybrid sections. Students rated ease of use, perceived learning value, and overall satisfaction, and indicated whether they would recommend the hybrid course. Group differences between students who would recommend the course and those who would not recommend/do not know were tested using two-sample t-tests assuming unequal variances.

Contribution
This study contributes evidence from a real-world implementation of an online learning system in English education at the college level and under-scores the importance of student acceptance of educational technology.
Findings Students who would recommend the course reported higher satisfaction (Recommend: M=3.6, n=35; Not recommend/don’t know: M=2.8, n=10), t(22)=-2.49, p=.021. Ease of use was also higher among recommenders (3.94 vs. 3.00), with trend-level evidence, t(11)=-2.10, p=.059. Perceived learning did not differ significantly between groups (4.14 vs. 3.80), t(11)=-.90, p=.389. In this scale-up cohort, recommendation was more closely aligned with perceived usability and overall experience than with the perceived learning bene-fit of the platform.

Recommendations for Practitioners
Institutions integrating online learning platforms should closely monitor student perceptions of the technology. They should evaluate platforms for ease of use, which may be an important factor in the success of the program.

Recommendations for Researchers
Future studies should examine how usability, satisfaction, and perceived educational value shape students’ willingness to recommend hybrid courses in diverse, larger settings.

Impact on Society
These findings suggest that user experience and integration quality may be crucial to maintaining student buy-in and engagement in hybrid learning. In expanding hybrid learning initiatives, institutions must consider student experience and perceptions.

Future Research
Future research should investigate perceptions of educational value to better understand how they are related to course recommendations and why they may remain high without being associated with higher course recommendations.