Students' adoption of e-learning: evidence from a Moroccan business school in the COVID-19 era

Abstract

PurposeThis article aims to study the determinants of e-learning acceptability by university students based on their experiences with distance learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was used to collect data from 448 students enrolled in a Moroccan business school's fourth and fifth years. The technology acceptance model (TAM) was the primary framework used for this analysis, into which variables from the expectation confirmation model were injected, namely facilitating conditions, social influence, expectation confirmation and satisfaction. The proposed conceptual model was tested and evaluated using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. Then the authors have offered an in-depth analysis by employing the importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) approach.FindingsThe investigation suggested that the proposed measurement scale effectively assesses the factors impacting students' decision to continue using e-learning in the future. This study’s results show that e-learning acceptance depends significantly on the students' satisfaction, perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU). In contrast, the facilitating conditions are not a valid measurement scale to determine students' attitudes toward e-learning.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies in the Moroccan context to evaluate e-learning acceptability by management students after COVID-19 using a unique research model.