END-USER ACCEPTANCE OF ONLINE LEARNING: AN INTEGRATION OF ACCEPTANCE MODELS WITH USER-CENTERED DESIGN (UCD) IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Digital technology is now woven deeply into the fabric of university teaching and learning ranging from the institutional provision of learning management systems, e-journals and plagiarism detection tools, to the widespread individual use of word-processing, email, Google, Wikipedia and social media platforms. Nevertheless, lack of user acceptance has long been an impediment to the success of internet based pedagogical services including online learning courses. At the same time, attractive interfaces with high aesthetic qualities and user-cantered orientation, arouses attention, are easier to learn, produce more harmonious results and work better. The present research addresses why students accept or refuse internet based pedagogical systems and how students’ acceptance is affected by the system or technological platform design features. It predominantly reviews the nature of technological acceptance, which is mediated by distinct factor groups related to the psychology of the end-users, the design process of information technology and the quality of the technology in enduser terms by conceptually integrating the theories, technology acceptance model (TAM), theory of planned behaviour (TPB), unified theory of acceptance (UTAUT) and diffusion of innovation theory (DIT), in a voluntary environment. The paper draws upon data gathered from a survey of postgraduate students across 3 Sri Lankan universities in Colombo district. The analysis is based on descriptive and inferential statistics and was analysed using SPSS. The structural equation model is applied to analyse the relationships demarcated in the theoretical model of the study. Subsequently, based on the outcomes, this study provides valuable insights on managerial interventions, investments and controls for better organizational online learning management that can lead to greater acceptance and effective utilization.