Abstract
Instead of training users to accept and adopt new learning systems, the challenge nowadays is to retain users on a long-term basis. Instructors and students that have grown up in the digital age see IT as part of life which makes initial acceptance and adoption fairly easy but long-term retention more difficult. Therefore, the challenge on utilization is switched from users’ pre-acceptance behaviour (whether they are likely to adopt learning systems) to post-acceptance behaviour (whether they will continue to use the learning systems in the long-term). The traditional model of user behaviour suggests that successfully adopted learning systems that were at one time perceived as being useful and easy to use would likely achieve a high rate of user continuance. However, a paradox exists, as user continuance is often not as high as expected. There is also a theoretical gap between technology acceptance and system continuance for which continuance behaviour cannot be explained by traditional technology acceptance models. This study extends a post-adoption model on habit and IS continuance to investigate the effect of personalization (which includes personal content management, personal time management and privacy control) on learning system continuance. Empirical results suggest that personalization has a positive influence on perceived usefulness and habit, but does not directly influence continuance intention. The results of the case study indicate consistently that there is a need to archive and re-access past course materials with personalized content, but different constraints (e.g., material format, physical space, etc.) prohibit systematic archiving of all past course materials. Both quantitative and qualitative results suggest retaining personalized learning content is perceived as being useful and would enhance continuance intention indirectly.
Highlights
A persistent problem at universities is student retention of learning materials both within and across courses
Students will find course materials with their own personal annotations useful as they proceed through life, especially those who return for more formal education
Christensen et al (2008) offer a revolutionary prediction for personalized learning through information and communication technology that will gradually “disrupt” and replace traditional “standardized” teaching and learning activities within what they foresee as 20 years. All these findings suggest that personalization in learning systems: (1) is useful, (2) develops new user habits, and (3) enhances continuation
Summary
A persistent problem at universities is student retention of learning materials both within and across courses. The broader use of learning management systems and the general focus on computer-based support has enabled a range of applications capable of assisting students in accumulating and retaining personalized course materials. BackPack is one such product that fulfils the three criteria suggested by Burton (1994) It seeks to provide students with a customizable method of personalizing and retaining learning materials. It allows automatic new content updates and past content archives. Technology acceptance was initially designed to predict intention to technology use Classic models such as Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis 1989) and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al 2003) have been applied and validated in educational contexts (e.g., Martins et al 2004; Landry et al 2006; Gibson et al 2008). Saeed & Abdinnour-Helm (2008) suggest that IS usefulness is perceived as a critical factor that impacts IS post-adoption behavior
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