Factors Affecting College Students' Continuous Intention to Use Online Course Platform

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Higher Education
• Online Learning

Background:

• Online learning is prevalent in higher education, offering flexibility and numerous courses.
• Despite its growth, the practical effectiveness of online learning platforms remains a concern.
• Existing research often overlooks key factors influencing sustained engagement with these platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate college students' continuous intention to use online learning platforms.
• To examine the influence of perceived cost and content quality on platform usage.
• To extend the Universal Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model for online education contexts.

Main Methods:

• A structural equation model was employed to analyze the relationships between variables.
• The study integrated the Universal Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT).
• Key variables included effort expectancy, social influence, performance expectancy, content quality, and perceived cost.

Main Results:

• Effort expectancy and social influence indirectly impacted continuous intention through performance expectancy.
• Content quality influenced continuous intention indirectly via effort expectancy and performance expectancy.
• Perceived cost demonstrated a significant negative effect on students' continuous intention to use online platforms.

Conclusions:

• Content quality and perceived cost are critical factors for sustained online learning engagement.
• The UTAUT model, extended with perceived cost and content quality, effectively explains student behavior in online learning.
• Findings offer actionable insights for designing and improving online course platforms to enhance student retention and satisfaction.