EXPLORING FARMERS ACCEPTANCE OF E-LEARNING USING TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL -CASE STUDY IN SRI LANKA (original) (raw)
Related papers
EDULEARN18 Proceedings, 2018
With the developments of information and communication technology (ICT), and the use of Internet as a new mode of knowledge delivery, has made innovative changes in the traditional teaching process. Use of computers, videoconferencing, audio, Internet as the mode of conducting e-learning has introduced a new learning environment and setups to potential users. This phenomenon can be applied to the users in agriculture sector too. It is argued that the outcomes accomplished from the traditional education and training programs are quite often far from ideal and therefore, institutions have to find a new way of training and learning and developing a new system to manage the flow of knowledge. It has been demonstrated that there is a need to have new ways of teaching to provide an ideal learning environment in order to respond to changing education demands for users such as farmers. This study examines factors that determine the adoption of blended learning system among farmers using data collected by questionnaire from a sample of 250 farmer students involved in Bachelor of Agro-technology Degree program in University of Colombo Institute for Agro-technology and Rural Sciences in Sri Lanka. A theoretical model is developed using previous studies based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and data analysis and model development performed using structural equation modelling techniques. Several theoretical findings of TAM are confirmed but there are new findings concerned with important indirect effects on the user adoption such as flexible access to instructional/assessment media, language capability, interactive delivery, interactions among teachers and students, job relevance and social recognition. Each of these indirect effects directly affected for easy use of the system (Perceived Ease of Use) and usefulness of the system which helps to produce an improved adoption towards the E-learning system. Based on the theoretical findings, the study suggested several actions for practical and theoretical implications for improving the learner's acceptance toward the E-learning in the special focus on student farmers. Education professionals and blended e-learning system developers can consider these factors when developing e-learning systems for the users such as farmers.
PREDICTING E-LEARNING APPLICATION IN AGRICULTURAL HIGHER EDUCATION USING TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL
2008
E-learning is significant breakthrough in teaching and learning. Internet or web technologies are important because they facilitate and enhance communications among instructors and learners and provide tools to encourage creativity and initiative. If internet-based learning environments are to benefit students, then it is important from the student's perspective that they are not seen as overly complex and hard to use. The introduction of e-learning may hinder the learning process if the technology is perceived as being complex and not useful to enhanced performance, and thus a distraction to learning. In line with acceptance studies, this research proposed and tested students' acceptance behavior of agricultural higher education for application of e-learning using technology acceptance model. Results demonstrated that there was positive relationship between students' intention to use e-learning and its perceived usefulness, internet experience, computer self-efficacy and affect. Instead computer anxiety and age had negative relationship with students' intention to use e-learning. Khalil KALANTARY received B.A. degree on Social Planning in 1988 from Allameh Tabatabaee University, received M.A. degree on Regional Planning in 1994 from JNU University and received Ph.D. on Regional Planning in 1998 from Panjab University, India. Currently he is on the staff REFERENCES Agarwal, R. & Prasad, J. (1999). Are individual differences germane to the acceptance of a new information technologies? Decision Sciences, 30(2), 361-391. Ajzen, I., and Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Arkkelin, D. (2003). Putting prometheus' feet to the fire: student evaluations of Prometheus in relation to their attitudes towards and experience with computers, computer self-efficacy and preferred learning style. Syllabus 2003 procedings. Behrens, S.; Jamieson, K., Jones, D. and Cranston, M. (2005). predicting system success using the technology acceptance model: A case study, 16 th Australasian conference on information systems, Sydney, Australia. Bose, K. (2003). An e-learning experience: a written analysis based on my experience with primary school teachers in an e-learning pilot project, International . Social cognitive theory and individual reactions to computing technology: a longitudinal study. MIS Quarterly, 23, 145-158. Davis, F. D. (1985). A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new enduser systems: theory and results, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts institute of technology. Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology, MIS Quarterly, 13. Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P. and Warshaw, P. R. (1989). User acceptance of computer technology: A comparison of two theoretical models, management science, 35.
Perception and Attitude of Agricultural Students towards E-learning
2015
E-learning as one of the important tool that has widely been accepted, used and strengthened the teaching, learning curriculum in different sphere of our life in the present world including application in education. Its role in Agriculture is of high importance. Hence an attempt made to conduct a study on e-learning among agriculture students. The papers describe the access, awareness, attitude and perception of Agricultural students towards e-learning. It is revealed from the study that 90.24 per cent of the students were aware and 67.07 per cent of them had favorable attitude towards e-learning .The authors in belief that the findings mentioned in the paper would help in strategic planning, implementation of various ICT projects, determining efficiencies and effectiveness of projects related to educational planning and monitoring.
International Review of Management and Marketing, 2017
The objective of this paper is to develop a framework on e-learning acceptance among agricultural extension agents in Malaysian agricultural sector. E-learning is viewed as a solution in response to the increasing need for learning and training. This paper will review past literatures for the relevant factors that influence behavioral intention for e-learning acceptance as well as the relevant behavioral theories that provide the foundation for developing research framework to illustrate the relationship between the factors and behavioral intention for e-learning acceptance. The outcome of this research is the proposed framework that demonstrates the relationship between the factors and behavioral intention for e-learning acceptance. Understanding the determinants of e-learning acceptance will lead to the development of more effective and meaningful e-learning services. The research outcome will help to increase the interest to use e-learning, improve the policies and infrastructure...
Investigating Agricultural Instructors' Attitudes toward E-Learning in Iran
Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 2011
With the rapid changes in all types of learning and teaching environments, there is a need to implement electronic learning (e-learning) to train students with new technologies. However the trend of using e-learning as learning and/or teaching tool is now rapidly expanding into education. Although e-learning environments are popular, there is minimal research on agricultural instructors' attitudes toward these kinds of learning environments. The purpose of this study is to explore agricultural instructors' attitudes toward e-learning usage. A descriptive-correlation survey approach was used in this study. Accordingly, 175 instructors in 64 agricultural education centers are asked to answer questionnaires for investigating their attitudes. Data were collected by mailing the questionnaire. After statistical analysis, the results demonstrate that instructors have positive attitude toward using e-learning as a teaching assisted tool. Intrinsic incentives and motivators for acceptance of e-learning are important than extrinsic incentives and motivators. Based on the findings, this research proposes guidelines for developing e-learning environments in agricultural education.
EDULEARN18 Proceedings, 2018
Higher Education Institutions promote to provide effective learning experiences to address the needs of the digitally-oriented generation of learners. E-Learning has emerged as a solution to address these needs and has been adopted by various institutes. The teaching and learning environment is taking up a number of innovations and some of these involve the use of technology through elearning. The introduction of e-learning initiatives is part of these innovations but its adoption, especially in the developing world faces challenges for it to be an effective innovation in teaching and learning. E-learning has quite a number of factors affecting for its effectiveness and huge number of challenges. There are lots of e-learning initiatives for different users. However, there is limited access for users such as farmers. It is a big challenge for introducing this technology for different kind of users such as farmers. Therefore, it is an important need for investigating about how farmers can successfully use the technology and ensuring their commitment given the individual learner characteristics and encounters with technology. This paper investigates the relationship between effectiveness of e-learning environment for farmers using the factors such as user characteristics, design features and learner satisfaction. It is aimed at determining the significant predictors of e-learning effectiveness taking student (farmers) characteristics and design features as independent variables and learner satisfaction as dependent variables. A survey was administered to 250 farmer students to gather data on user characteristics, design features and learning outcomes. The study applied the online survey questionnaire for collecting data. Multiple regression has used for data analysing. It has used multimedia introduction, interactive online tools and online learner support as e-learning design features. User attitudes and self-regulation are used as student characteristics. User satisfaction is used as an outcome. The results indicate that student characteristic such as attitude and design features such as multimedia introduction, interactive online tools and online learner support are significant predictors for farmers learning outcomes/satisfaction in e-learning.
Factors influencing intention to use e-learning by agricultural extension agents in Malaysia
2017
The application of e-learning has extended beyond the traditional educational establishments to various other areas including agricultural sector. In agricultural sector, extension services are perhaps the key beneficiary of e-learning, being in the unique position as an intermediary between agricultural specialists and farmers.Hence the objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, management support and training; and the intention to use e-learning technology among agricultural extension agents in Malaysian agricultural sector.This quantitative study was based on Theory of Planned Behavior with management support and training as additional constructs.While there were many studies that investigated factors affecting intention to use e learning in educational institutions, there were limited studies of the same in the context of extension agents in agriculture setting.The results showed that all of the hy...
Journal of Agricultural Informatics, 2013
E-learning is likely to be an increasingly important element in teaching agriculture and related subjects at universities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors involved in determining the readiness and intention to adopt e-learning by faculty members at member institutions of the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE). The study was based on the decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB) to predict intentions on the use of elearning. DTPB draws on constructs influencing the attitude to use technology from two frequently investigated models in this area, that is, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Valid responses were collected from 70 faculty members with a survey questionnaire. Validated scales from previous research were used to measure the variables of interest. The results revealed that the majority of the respondents have only limited access to ICT infrastructure and support services. However, they perceived e-learning to be very useful in general and to have the potential to enhance their teaching-related activities.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2009
Educational research is an ever-expanding field of study where new methods, systems and new concepts are always being discovered. With the emergence of the Internet, e-learning has increasingly become the promising solution that continues to grow day after day. This paper examines perception of graduate students in Agricultural Extension Education in Iran towards elearning. A descriptive-correlation survey approach was used in this study. Students (n = 82) filled in a web-based closed questions questionnaire. Reliability and validity of instrument were determined by investigating the attitudes of e-learning and extension specialists and application of Cronbach's (0.94). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data using SPSS Win13. Questionnaires received were analyzed, putting the students' perceptions in relation to gender, age, university, previous knowledge of computers and attitudes to advantages and disadvantages of e-learning. Results showed that students have positive perception to e-learning. The results also indicated that male students, students with previous knowledge of computers and students with positive attitudes to new technologies were all more positive in favour to e-learning than other students. There were significant relationship between computer and internet skills of students and their perceptions of e-learning. Therefore from the student's point of view, e-learning can be used as complementary approach with current system to improving educational quality in agricultural extension and education in higher Education.
Acceptance of E-Learning among Undergraduates of Computing Degrees in Sri Lanka
International Journal of Modern Education and Computer Science, 2016
E-learning has become a most popular learning approach of higher education in Sri Lanka, due to the advancements of Information Technology. This study focused on the undergraduates' acceptance of elearning as an effective tool. The successfulness of implementing e-learning requires the understanding of end-user acceptance process. Therefore, this study focused on investigating the acceptance of e-learning approach among undergraduates in Western Province, Sri Lanka. The aim of this research was to provide a set of factors to be considered when an E-learning activity is planned and proposed to E-learners in universities of Sri Lanka. The Technology Acceptance Model which was modified by including some factors was used as the basic framework of this study which was suitable for achieving the objectives of the research. This study was based on total sample of 209 students who are following Computing degrees in the universities located in Western Province, Sri Lanka. The results of this study suggested that university students tend to focus more on perceived ease of use on e-learning and the students' attitude has more influence on intention to use elearning. So it could be concluded that providing more technological facilities with infrastructure would increase the positive attitude towards using e-learning among university students and behavioral intention to use.