Investigating University Student’s Acceptance of Information and Communication Technology: Applying the Technology Acceptance Model

Building on the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study examines university student’s acceptance of information and communication technology (ICT) as a learning resource outside of the classroom. With the aim of looking more deeply into this subject, the study applied the technology acceptance model to recognize the effect of perceived usefulness on the student’s actual use of ICT with the existence of perceived usefulness as a moderator variable. Data were collected from 376 students from Duhok Polytechnic University in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using a questionnaire survey consisting of 15 items developed based on the related literature. The results support that both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are key determinants of student’s actual use of ICT as a learning resource, and the relationship between perceived ease of use and actual use is moderated by perceived usefulness. Based on the findings, conclusions, implications, limitations, and an outlook for future studies were made. The originality of this study stems from the use of perceived usefulness as a moderator on the relationship between perceived ease of use and actual use of ICT among university students.