Understanding how university student perceptions of resources affect technology acceptance in online learning courses

The purpose of this empirical research was to use the perceived resources and technology acceptance model (PRATAM; Ku, 2009) to observe and measure students’ beliefs on using the WebCT online learning system (OLS) in two WebCT courses offered at a large university in the south-eastern United States. PRATAM was replicated from previous research to address the factors of perceived resources (R), perceived usefulness (U), perceived ease of use (EOU), attitude towards using, behavioural intention to use (BI), and actual system use (USE). The results show that the constructs of PRATAM explained the data well in both surveys conducted. This study makes a contribution to the literature on PRATAM by identifying and understanding the factors that influence students’ behaviours in response to the OLS. Moreover, it provides insights for administrators and instructional designers for improving students’ persistence and retention in online learning courses.