E-Learning in Higher Education

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) acceptance research within the field of Information Systems has been limited in its application to higher education. There is a current need to examine utilization of e-learning to improve the success of information system implementation across the higher education sector. This research describes and explains an experience of a teaching centered on the Web, undertaken in Tunisian universities. E-learning is related to three courses for which a platform Web was developed to make it possible for the learners to download the supports of the course, to put their questions to the teachers, etc. First, this work describes the theoretical basis behind the concept of e-learning and the development of a research model; second, it tests the influence of platform characteristics and e-learning usage on learners’ satisfaction. Experimentation was conducted on 241 students and found that perceived ease of use is the most determining factor that influences simultaneously the usage and the satisfaction. The authors also noted that the perceived usefulness of the platform and its perceived compatibility with the needs and the values of learners are important for the active usage of the platform. The results of this study have theoretical and practical applications in the field of e-learning.