The Acceptance of Using Open-Source Learning Platform (Moodle) for Learning in Hong Kong’s Higher Education

Abstract

Using online learning platforms for teaching and learning is common in this generation and development is driving innovation. The advances of information technology have significantly changed ways of teaching and learning in higher education. Online learning platforms take many forms depending on a particular application. In addition to Blackboard, Moodle is one of the most popular online learning platforms nowadays worldwide. Moodle is a learning platform designed to provide educators, administrators and learners with a single robust, secure and integrated system to create personalized learning environments. In addition, the acceptance of the students to the online learning platform will affect the higher education information and the construction of modernization of education in a certain extent. A number of studies have indicated that the successful pedagogical use of technology depends on students’ attitudes and acceptance towards technology. Therefore, the prediction of students’ attitude and acceptance towards online learning platform is crucial for the teaching and learning quality in education. This study is to investigate the acceptance of using online learning platform, i.e. Moodle by using the augmented version of TAM model (A-TAM) to investigate their behavioral intention and use behavior of Moodle for their learning, as Moodle is one of the most common online learning platform in Hong Kong and there are a significant proportion of Institutes adopting Moodle in Hong Kong higher education. In other words, this study investigates how perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude towards behavior and subjective norm affect behavioral intention so as to actual behavior of using Moodle in Hong Kong higher education.