Technology-Enabled E-Learning Platforms in Chinese Higher Education During the Pandemic Age of COVID-19

The problem motivating this study is the fact that almost 19.70 million university students in China have been required to engage in e-learning under the government's initiative of "Classes are Suspended, yet Learning is still Ongoing" during the COVID-19 epidemic, coupled with varied responses, uneven adoption of e-learning platforms and varying degrees of satisfaction toward them. Using the online database adoption and satisfaction (ODAS) model, this study examines the determinants which impact university students' adoption of and satisfaction with e-learning platforms at this particular time in China. The ODAS model was also cross-validated using gender as a moderating variable. A purposive sampling procedure was used to survey a total of 1,136 students from six universities in five provinces or municipalities of China. The data for this survey were estimated using the Rasch model and structural equation modeling. Results exhibit that students' adoption of and satisfaction with e-learning platforms were significantly measured by their computer self-efficacy, their intention to use e-learning platforms, and their perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of these platforms, while the relationships among these components were moderated by gender differences. This empirically-based cross-validation of the ODAS provides recommendations for future studies, including practical implications for e-learning. This current study contributes to the body of knowledge in evaluating e-learning platforms during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Unpacking mobile learning in higher vocational education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mobile learning in higher education has become more popular than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the presence of mobile learning in Chinese higher vocational education is unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this research is to extend the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) by incorporating three sub-dimensions of self-efficacy for measuring students' acceptance of mobile learning in Chinese higher vocational education. A total sample of 900 students from higher vocational colleges were selected to participate in this study and their responses were analysed using structural equation modelling to validate the extended UTAUT. The results provide significant evidence of the sub-dimensions of self-efficacy and confirm the validity of extended UTAUT. The results also show that students' effort and performance expectancies, social influence and facilitating condition were directly affected by their self-efficacies to use mobile learning.