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Article
Publication date: 11 September 2023

Peter Sin Howe Tan, Ai Na Seow, Yuen Onn Choong, Chi Hau Tan, Siew Yong Lam and Chee Keong Choong

Numerous academic institutions have embarked on the pursuit of hybrid learning as an alternative approach, catering to students who opt for replacing a fraction of their…

Abstract

Purpose

Numerous academic institutions have embarked on the pursuit of hybrid learning as an alternative approach, catering to students who opt for replacing a fraction of their conventional in-person meeting schedule with remote teaching. However, these new remote learning patterns have brought forth new stands against students' expectations. The universities have come across immense challenges in devising efficacious strategies that encompass the delivery, effectiveness and acceptability of hybrid courses. Consequently, identifying pivotal determinants related to user acceptance of technology persists as a crucial matter. This study aims to shed light on the adoption of hybrid learning from students' perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to scrutinise the proposed research model and hypotheses. A total sample of 444 students responded and partook in the survey. The data were analysed using AMOS software, a powerful tool for statistical analysis in the field of social sciences.

Findings

The findings of this study show that perceived service quality positively and significantly impacts the ease of use and usefulness of a hybrid learning system among students. In addition, the results demonstrate that ease of use and usefulness of the system positively and significantly influence students' favourable attitudes toward hybrid learning. Remarkably, the statistical analysis unveils the significant mediating effect of ease of use and usefulness in the relationship between perceived service quality and students' attitudes toward hybrid learning.

Research limitations/implications

The findings suggest that the pervasive dependence on information systems and the quality of service from novel technologies continues to be a vital influence in the learning environment. The study has provided valuable insights into student perseverance learning strategies for higher education institutions.

Originality/value

This study's novelty lies in illuminating the crucial role of ease of use and usefulness as mediators, highlighting their criticality in enhancing students' attitudes towards hybrid learning. Notably, the study underscores that perceived service quality exerts a positive influence on ease of use and usefulness.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 November 2020

Laila Al-Omairi, Hosam Al-Samarraie, Ahmed Ibrahim Alzahrani and Nasser Alalwan

In any developing country, the critical benefits for ensuring proper utilization of e-government learning services have basically emerged from the integration of underlying…

Abstract

Purpose

In any developing country, the critical benefits for ensuring proper utilization of e-government learning services have basically emerged from the integration of underlying processes – not only across different levels of government but also across different functions and agencies. The literature showed a notable lack of research to underline the limited use of e-government learning services in a university setting. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine students' intention to adopt e-government learning services in a developing country. Precisely, the existent to which reputation, social influence, information quality and system quality of e-government learning services would influence students' trust, perceived usefulness and perceived learning values was investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

The effect from these variables on students' intention to use e-government learning services was also investigated. A total of 406 questionnaires were collected and analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) modeling.

Findings

The results showed varying relationships between the study's variables. It is anticipated that understanding these relationships can predict future learning trends of e-government learning services use among university students, thus helping decision makers plan ahead, prioritize tasks and make better decisions.

Originality/value

Knowledge about students' intention to use e-government learning services is even useful for the implementation of other services by higher education institutions. This study also offers some implications for practitioners and researchers concerned about the application of e-government in students' learning development.

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2021

Soujata Rughoobur-Seetah and Zuberia Aminah Hosanoo

Technology acceptance research in the L&T contexts has a necessity for enabling the significant inclusion of technology in educational settings (Scherer et al., 2019). Despite the…

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Abstract

Purpose

Technology acceptance research in the L&T contexts has a necessity for enabling the significant inclusion of technology in educational settings (Scherer et al., 2019). Despite the propensity for information communication and technology to enhance the teaching and learning process, the acceptance or rejection of learning technology is essential. Technological acceptance model (TAM) has evolved to become a key model to depict the predictors of human behaviour towards prospective rejection or acceptance of technology (Granic and Marangunic, 2019). In their recent systematic review of the extensive literature on TAM, Granic and Marangunic (2019) found that most of TAM research originate from Asia (Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea and China), Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, research on TAM has been very scarce in small island economies. This study aims to guide the empirical model of Al-Fraihat et al. (2020), which wants to uncover the quality of learning by understanding the intentions and satisfaction of tertiary education learners on the acceptance and use of information technology (IT) for e-learning, during the confinement period.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a quantitative approach. The proposed framework was borrowed from Al-Fraihat et al. (2020) and amended based on the contextual aspect of the study. The model proposed by Al-Fraihat et al. (2020) takes into consideration the quality of e-learning through technical system quality, information quality, service quality, educational system quality, support system quality, learner quality and instructor quality. The framework has as the basis the TAM where the perceived satisfaction, perceived usefulness, use and benefits of E-learning have been evaluated. This current study evaluated the quality of the e-learning platform from the students’ perspective in the confinement period. The service quality construct has been broken into three different dimensions, namely, service quality from an IT perspective, service quality from an administration perspective and service quality from the faculty represented by the Head of Departments. Another dimension has been added so as to evaluate the learner’s point of view when studying during confinement, namely, confinement and learning quality.

Findings

The findings of this study did not support H25, that is the hypothesis that perceived usefulness has a positive relationship with perceived satisfaction, in contradiction to similar previous studies that confirmed the relationship (Al-Sabawy et al., 2011; Al-Fraihat et al., 2020). However, interestingly, the findings of this research supported the relationship between perceived satisfaction and benefits (H26). This means that the greater the satisfaction of the learner, the greater the benefits on students. The results of this study further supported that there is a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and benefits (H27); there is a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and use (H28); and finally, there is a positive relationship between use and benefits (H29). Such relationships were also found in the existing literature (Al-Sabawy et al., 2011; Cidral et al., 2018; Al-Fraihat et al., 2020). The perception of the usefulness of the e-learning system determines the benefits, usefulness and system use. When the learners feel that the system is enhancing their learning, learning activities and performance, hence learning more effectively, they tend to see the e-learning system as useful and they are more likely to use the e-learning system/tool. The use of the tool/system, thus positively impacts the benefits that the learners derived from the system.

Originality/value

The COVID-19 and overnight decision for a country-wide lockdown drastically changed the education sector. School and all teaching institutions were closed. However, most universities had to review their teaching and learning models to introduce e-learning to ensure the semester’s progress. Hence, the use of the various LMS tools became a necessity overnight. This study on e-learning in Mauritius uses the TAM as the theoretical foundation because the theory has long been extensively used to investigate the quality of learning eg. Davis (1989), Scherer et al. (2019), Al-Fraihat et al. (2020).

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2022

Abhijit Sinha and Sudin Bag

The study is done to investigate the factors that affect the intention of higher education students towards online education. The research also focuses on the importance of…

Abstract

Purpose

The study is done to investigate the factors that affect the intention of higher education students towards online education. The research also focuses on the importance of students' stability and students' resilience on perceived usefulness and perceived easiness of use that frame the attitude towards the intention to use online education.

Design/methodology/approach

Online survey method is employed using Google form link with a sample of 686 students of higher education. Excluding the outliers (univariate and multivariate), the final sample size (N = 679) considers the empirical results of the study. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is applied to unearth the relationship in the proposed research model of the study.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that perceived usefulness and perceived easiness of use have a direct impact on students' intention to use online education platform. Moreover, perceived usefulness and perceived easiness of use also have a positive influence on the students' attitude, which has a strong influence on students' intention to use online mode of education system. Also, students' stability and students' resilience have mixed impact on the level of perceived usefulness and perceived easiness of use that are the most useful determinants of attitude towards the intention to use online education.

Research limitations/implications

The study counts on the technology acceptance model (TAM) where constructs like behavioural controllability, past exposure and perceived accordance are not considered for measuring the intention of students in adapting to online education.

Originality/value

This paper employs the extended model of technology acceptance with additional determinants, namely, students' stability and students' resilience, to investigate the intention to use the online form of education as an alternative to the offline mode.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 September 2017

Leandro Sumida Garcia and Camila Mariane Costa Silva

This research aims to compare the preference of social media sites and institutional communication channels of a higher education institution by confronting elements that form…

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Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to compare the preference of social media sites and institutional communication channels of a higher education institution by confronting elements that form perceived usefulness and user satisfaction with the system. Social media technologies are a part of the routine of the modern society in many diverse ways, including the support and even substitution of software designed specifically for knowledge acquisition and sharing. If students do not see value in the use of virtual learning environments and learning platforms, such tools might be prone to obsolescence as well.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was applied in a Brazilian public university located in a major city near São Paulo. The paper shows the results of the analysis of a survey with 108 answers, testing a model based on the information system success and on the technology acceptance model. The perceived usefulness of information technology is also subject to test through a Student t-test.

Findings

The paper shows that students perceive more value when using social media technologies to perform academic activities than in information systems provided by the university, mainly owing to the ease of use of the former. Service quality does not present a strong role as an antecedent variable in any case.

Practical implications

Students do not expect or do not see value in technical support during their general experience or usefulness for any of the analysed technologies. Thus, higher education institutions should focus their initiatives in providing availability, information quality and usability for institutional channels or, if they choose to do so, social media sites as well.

Originality/value

This study contributes to educational institutions by attaining better use of available IT tools for academic purposes. Previous studies looked for monitored or institutionalized use of social media tools in an educational context, but there was no in-depth analysis of spontaneous use by students to perform academic tasks.

Details

Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2023

Lindsey M. Harper, Soohyung Joo and Youngseek Kim

There are a variety of benefits associated with the use of YouTube for learning purposes, such as YouTube is a free open-access tool students can use to facilitate their learning…

Abstract

Purpose

There are a variety of benefits associated with the use of YouTube for learning purposes, such as YouTube is a free open-access tool students can use to facilitate their learning. This study investigates whether an attitudinal factor (i.e. perceived usefulness) and the factor's antecedents, resource quality factors (i.e. credibility, currency, coverage and relevance), normative factor (i.e. subjective norm) and control factor (i.e. perceived ease of use) all affect college freshmen's behavioral intentions to use YouTube for academic learning purposes.

Design/methodology/approach

This research employs the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore the attitudinal, normative and control factors associated with college freshmen's behavioral intentions to use YouTube for academic learning. After developing a quantitative survey given to 182 college freshmen in a Southeastern institution in the United States of America, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the seven hypotheses and the research constructs.

Findings

The results indicate that attitudinal factor (i.e. perceived usefulness) and its antecedents, resource quality factors (i.e. currency, coverage and relevance) and normative factor (i.e. subjective norm) have a statistically significant effect on college freshmen's intentions to use YouTube for academic learning purposes.

Research limitations/implications

This study suggests that individual motivations (i.e. perceived usefulness and subjective norm) and resource quality factors (i.e. currency, coverage and relevance) play into college freshmen's decisions to use YouTube for learning purposes, while other research indicates that the system or application itself factors into students' decisions to use technology for learning.

Practical implications

This study suggests that college freshmen are more likely to use YouTube for academic learning purposes when the freshmen hold favorable attitudes about the platform and when the freshmen believe the freshmen's peers are also using YouTube to supplement in-class learning.

Originality/value

This is an initial study that focuses on college freshmen's behavioral intentions to use YouTube for academic learning purposes. This research demonstrates the roles that peers as well as resource quality factors play in students' decisions to use specific technology to enhance the students' learning.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 September 2022

Hong Thi Thu Nguyen

The study aims to seek the factors affecting perceived online learning enjoyment among university students across Viet Nam.

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to seek the factors affecting perceived online learning enjoyment among university students across Viet Nam.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the concept of the technology acceptance model (TAM), this research adopts structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse data collected from 795 undergraduate students who have gained the experience of online courses in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The results of this study indicate that both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are significant predictors of students' perceived enjoyment in online courses while perceived obstacles are not its direct antecedents. The correlation between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness is also affirmed in this study. Besides, differences are found based on students' characteristics including gender, grade and academic major.

Research limitations/implications

As online learning turns education to be learner-centred, it is crucial to have a better understanding of students' perceptions toward this advanced learning method. The insights found in this research may be of interest to educational administrators, aimed at achieving the digital transformation success in education which may adapt to the current trend of Industrial Revolution 4.0.

Originality/value

According to the best of the knowledge, this research is the first to explore the effect of the group of three predictors including perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and perceived obstacles on the students' learning enjoyment toward the online learning method, especially in the context of Viet Nam.

Details

The International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, vol. 39 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4880

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 November 2016

Aleksander Aristovnik, Damijana Keržič, Nina Tomaževič and Lan Umek

In higher education, blended learning is already strongly established. The e-courses vary in their structure, assignments, prompt examinations, interaction between students and…

Abstract

Purpose

In higher education, blended learning is already strongly established. The e-courses vary in their structure, assignments, prompt examinations, interaction between students and teachers, etc. Such aspects may influence the students’ perception of usefulness of blended learning. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors which influence that feeling and to look for possible differences in perception by different subgroups of students.

Design/methodology/approach

Students in the survey evaluated 13 aspects of e-courses in which they were enrolled. From enrolment documents, additional demographic data were collected (gender, high-school grade, study programme, etc.). A multiple linear regression was used with perceived usefulness as the response variable and the 12 other e-course aspects as predictors. Further, the same regression analysis was performed on different subgroups of students based on demographical data.

Findings

The empirical results showed that the general impression regarding the e-courses, their consistency with the face-to-face teaching and the teachers’ responsiveness had a significant influence on the students’ perception of the usefulness of e-courses. Further analysis based on demographic data revealed several subgroups of students where the perception of usefulness was influenced by different aspects. The teachers’ feedback and supplementing the tutorial play an important role in higher years of study, while the general impression loses its influence.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to explore the importance of demographic determinants of perceived usefulness of e-learning tools in EAPAA (European Association of Public Administration Accreditation)-accredited undergraduate public administration programmes.

Details

Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2011

Timothy Teo

The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of pre‐service teachers' perceived usefulness of e‐learning for teaching and learning.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of pre‐service teachers' perceived usefulness of e‐learning for teaching and learning.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 189 pre‐service teachers completed a survey questionnaire measuring their responses to four constructs which explain perceived usefulness in the context of e‐learning: learning environment (LE), course delivery (CD), tutor attribute (TA), and facilitating conditions (FC). These were administered during the teaching term where participants were attending a technology course. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed for modeling and data analysis.

Findings

Results revealed that 62.5 percent of the total variance in the pre‐service teachers' perceived usefulness of e‐learning was explained by the four variables. Among them, learning environment did not have a significant influence on perceived usefulness. Overall, the data in this study provided evidence to support the notion that perceived usefulness is a multidimensional construct.

Originality/value

Perceived usefulness is often employed as an independent variable within a model (technology acceptance model) or theory (theory of planned behavior) in many acceptance studies. This study provides an alternative perspective and new insights of perceived usefulness by positioning it as a dependent variable. Methodologically, this study employed structural equation modeling as the technique to assess the effect of each of the four variables on perceived usefulness, something that conventional techniques (e.g. t‐test, ANOVA) cannot do because the latter are not capable of analyzing latent and observed indicators simultaneously.

Details

Campus-Wide Information Systems, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1065-0741

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Princely Ifinedo

Students’ use of blogging tools in learning environments is increasing across the world. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature by examining the effects of…

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Abstract

Purpose

Students’ use of blogging tools in learning environments is increasing across the world. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature by examining the effects of relevant factors that engender satisfaction and positive impacts of the technology for learning.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 108 undergraduate students taking a management information systems course. The partial least squares technique of structural equation modelling was used to test the reliability and validity of the data, and the study’s hypothesised relationships or paths.

Findings

This study revealed that perceived enjoyment, compatibility, usefulness, ease of use, and confirmation have positive influence on students’ satisfaction with blog use. Perceived enjoyment had the greatest influence on students’ satisfaction with blog use for learning. Perceived impact on learning was positively influenced by perceived ease of use, enjoyment, and satisfaction.

Originality/value

A limited amount of empirical research has focussed on students’ perceptions of satisfaction and perceived impact on learning through blog use in higher educational contexts. This study adds to the growing literature in this area of study.

Details

The International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, vol. 34 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4880

Keywords

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