Investigating User Acceptance of a Screenshot-Based Interaction System in the Context of Advanced Computer Software Learning

Abstract

Most e-learning systems provide course materials in a variety of formats, such as text, image, and video, and allow students to interact with their classmates and teachers by means of discussion forums, chat rooms, or e-mail. However, most interactions between students seeking technical support are in textual format. To promote effective discussion and interaction between users, e-learning systems should make better use of media. Drawing on the media-richness theory, screenshot-based interaction can be regarded as the best medium for describing problems and troubleshooting in the context of computer software. As this form of interaction between users is based on screenshots, it is termed "screenshot-based interaction." This study entailed the development of a screenshot-based interaction system, which is a system of discussion forums for advanced computer software learners, by integrating the richness of social-networking media with the traditional structure of present-day discussion forums. The system provided students with a convenient and clear means of explaining advanced computer software problems, by uploading screenshots, dragging rectangles, and leaving comments in text boxes. It also allowed students to give and receive individual responses to these problems, thereby enhancing their learning. In addition, the study investigated user acceptance of the screenshot-based interaction system. The results, based on data collected from 418 students, indicated that students' perceived enjoyment had a strong, positive, and direct effect on their behavioral intention, and that colleague opinion had a direct effect on their perceived enjoyment and their perception of the system's ease of use and usefulness, which in turn affected behavioral intention indirectly.