Abstract:

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has become one of the most widely-used models in understanding user acceptance of technologies and has been employed in many empirical studies. However, TAM has barely been used within the context of Saudi Arabia to understand the students’ acceptance of learning management systems (LMS). This quantitative study draws on the TAM to assess the acceptance of LMS (Blackboard) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) from the perspectives of Saudi students. All participants were students at KAU during the 2016 Fall semester from different disciplines and colleges. To ensure a sufficient sample size, the survey was distributed to students both online and manually. From 150 survey participants 142 responses were used for data analysis. The findings demonstrate the original TAM hypotheses. Students’ actual use is influenced by the behavioral intention that is affected by students’ attitude and perceived usefulness. The perceived ease of use has an impact on the students’ attitude and perceived usefulness alike. Student acceptance of learning management technology has not yet been fully explored in the Saudi context. This study’s findings offer some reassurance that LMS technology, new to Saudi higher education, might play an important part in future students’ learning.

Keywords:

Technology Acceptance Model, learning management system, TAM, King Abdulaziz University, LMS, e-learning system.