EXAMINING FACTORS AFFECTING COLLEGE STUDENTS’ INTENTION TO USE WEB-BASED INSTRUCTION SYSTEMS: TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED MODEL

ABSTRACT

With accelerated progress of information and communication technologies (ICT), web-based instruction (WBI) is becoming a popular method for education resources distributing and delivering. This study was conducted to explore what factors influence college students’ behavioral intentions to utilize WBI systems. To achieve this aim, a WBI system was developed and employed in a vocational college in Taiwan to support undergraduate courses learning. Drawing on the concepts from Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this study proposes a nomological framework and develops an instrument for measuring college students’ intention to use the WBI platform. The empirical results indicate that students show great readiness and positive intentions towards the system for their web-based learning activities and expose a possible benefit from its use in the long term. The research findings can provide instrumental suggestions for web-based instruction practices and may serve as instrumental guidelines for WBI systems to be effectively designed to advance college students’ interests and activations in the virtual learning environment.