The study aimed to find out whether the complexity of an online course design would affect its frequency of usage, to identify technological and linguistic barriers to students' participation and interaction in those online courses and to report students' perceptions of their online learning experience. Female freshman students participating in this study were divided into three groups, each assigned to one of the online course management systems: WebCT, Nicenet, and Moodle. The students received the same in-class instruction, studied the same grammar textbook, covered the same grammatical structures, did the same exercises and took the same quizzes. The subjects had no prior experience using online teaching, although 40% have access to the internet, have an e-mail, can browse the internet and chat. The students accessed the online courses from home. Enrollment in each online course is optional. Students are given extra credit for participation. Results revealed that Nicenet was the most popular and actively used platform, with 183 posts in 4 weeks, compared to only 4 posts in Moodle and WebCT. The effective use of Nicenet was attributed to its ease of use, simple language, and supportive social atmosphere. In contrast, Moodle and WebCT faced challenges such as complex forum designs, cultural barriers, limited IT skills, and lack of internet access. The study concluded that while Nicenet was effective due to its user-friendly design and supportive environment, Moodle and WebCT were less successful due to various barriers. The findings highlight the importance of considering technological, linguistic, and cultural factors in the design and implementation of online courses for EFL instruction.