Assessing eLearning systems success in Nigeria: an application of the DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success Model

Abstract

This study is based on the DeLone and McLean’s Information Systems Success (D&M ISS) model, which was modified to determine the success factors responsible for the acceptance of an e-learning system called Canvas by students of a Nigerian University. The adoption of eLearning has been under studied within the context of developing countries. There have been calls in the literature for further research from a developing country perspective. This study attempts to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the factors responsible for students’ adoption of eLearning in a Nigerian University. The study was built on the premise that system quality (SQ), service quality (ServQ) and information quality (IQ) are determinants of behavioral intention to use Canvas and user satisfaction of Canvas, both of which in turn influence the actual usage of Canvas. Responses from 366 students were analyzed with AMOS 22 using structural equation model (SEM) to test the relationships between the constructs of the proposed model. The study contributes to the research gap about the paucity of studies in the adoption of eLearning in developing countries that have placed emphasis on the use of eLearning systems or on the software quality attributes of the systems under investigation. The results partially supported the effect of the quality antecedents on behavioral intention and user satisfaction of students. There was full support for the relationship between behavioral intention and user satisfaction of students on their actual usage of Canvas. The level of significance of the constructs identified in the study will guide the formulation of strategies and methods that could further enhance the adoption of eLearning systems in developing countries, specifically Nigeria. Theoretically, the study contributes to the body of knowledge on eLearning adoption by empirically validating the DeLone and McLean model in a different context, specifically sub-Saharan Africa. Future research could investigate the factors that influence instructors’ behavioral intentions to use eLearning applications and also the effect that the instructors have on students’ adoption of eLearning.