Examining the Pandemic Induced Adoption of E-Learning Through a UTAUT Model Approach

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic's worldwide disruption has significantly impacted many facets of society, including education and learning. This seismic effect results from the urgent need to stop the virus from spreading, which calls for strong limitations on leaving one's home. This has resulted in the mass shutdown of industries, offices, schools, universities, theatres, parks, gymnasiums, and retail stores. Consequently, students across countries were forced to adopt e-learning at a mass scale to continue their education. This study uses a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model method to list the elements that led to the adoption of e-learning by Indian college students during the Covid-19 epidemic. The empirical study is based on an extensive literature review and an online survey of 162 undergraduate students at Delhi University, India. Regression analysis results show that the most significant predictors of students' preference for e-learning during the pandemic are their evaluations of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and the social isolation brought on by the Covid-19 crisis. Furthermore, the Covid-19 epidemic is seen by students as the primary driver behind their adoption of e-learning. A sophisticated understanding of the complexities associated with adopting e-learning is likely to greatly assist in developing creative educational projects and policies in the future.