A Structural Equations Model Approach to Examining University Students' Acceptance of a Learning Management System

Abstract

The study examined university students’ acceptance of a Learning Management System (LMS) during the emergency transition to online distance learning (ODL) brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 408 university students and employed a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design and Structural Equation Model (SEM) to investigate the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and several external variables, specifically social influence (SI), system characteristics (SC), individual differences (ID), facilitating conditions (FC), and academic performance. Results of SEM revealed that FC, SI, and SC are significant factors in LMS acceptance, with SC having the strongest influence on perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU). A significant path coefficient was also observed for actual use (AU) on academic performance. LMS analytics revealed the utility of discussion and assignment features of the LMS are greater over quizzes in ODL. Most students described LMS features as generally effective, particularly the use of modules, announcements, and assignments, and the provision of course materials as the best teaching practice. The quality of the Internet connectivity was determined as a major challenge affecting students’ ODL experience.