Role of course relevance and course content quality in MOOCs acceptance and use

Abstract

Despite several benefits attributed to the use of MOOCs for learning, acceptance levels remain low and studies investigating adoption and use of the technology are limited. This study draws from the literature on specific factors that influence online learning environments and extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) to understand if those factors can be used to explain and facilitate MOOCs acceptance and use behaviors among learners. The factors investigated include, course content quality, course relevance, course instructor quality, course design quality, learner-instructor interaction, and learner-interaction. There were 138 participants in the study. Partial Least Squares SEM (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the relationships proposed for the study. The results suggest that the extended TAM offered a good explanation of MOOC acceptance and use, with course relevance and course content quality as external variables affecting MOOCs acceptance. Findings from this study provides practical implications for MOOCs implementation to increase acceptance and further lays a foundation for future research