Challenges of E-Learning: Behavioral Intention of Academicians to Use E-Learning during COVID-19 Crisis
Mohammad Jamal Khan, Lingala Kalyan Viswanath Reddy, Javed Masood Khan, Bayapa Reddy Narapureddy, Sunil Kumar Vaddamanu, Fahad Hussain Alhamoudi, Rajesh Vyas, Vishwanath Gurumurthy, Abdelrhman A. G. Altijani, Saurabh Chaturvedi
Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis demanded that all educational activities should be performed virtually to follow social distancing guidelines. Therefore, there was a need to perform a research study to assess the effects of external factors on the perceived usefulness, ease of use of e-learning, and the further effect of these perceptions on attitude and intent to use e-learning by using the technology acceptance model (TAM) among academicians at higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, and data were collected from 263 academicians across Saudi Arabia through an online survey questionnaire using a non-probability purposive sampling technique and analyzed and tested using the SPSS and Smart PLS software. Results: This study found that self-efficacy was positively associated with perceived usefulness at β = 0.143 and p < 0.05, but it had no association with perceived ease of use at β = 0.057 at p > 0.05. System accessibility had a significant and positive relationship with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use at β = 0.283, β = 0.247, and p < 0.01, respectively. Self-efficacy had a positive effect on perceived usefulness, whereas the subjective norm had no relationship with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use at β = −0.065 and β = −0.012 at p > 0.05, respectively. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were positively related to attitude towards use, which has a significant influence on intention to use e-learning. Conclusion: Perceived ease of application is the most significant factor (β = 0.556) in developing the attitude among academicians to practice e-learning, followed by perceived usefulness (β = 0.262). Moreover, it can be concluded that system accessibility has a stronger influence on developing perception among academicians about the expediency and ease of application of e-learning than self-efficacy.