Determinants of using online mode of teaching: Evidence from higher educational institutions

Abstract

The investigation looks at the intention of teachers in higher educational institutions towards online teaching–learning methods using the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. In the aftermath of Covid‐19, the education sector was in shambles, and it was impossible to continue with the traditional offline form, which forced a sudden transition to the online mode of teaching and learning. Thus, it is immensely important to identify the various factors that determine the intention to use the online teaching method by the facilitators of higher education. The present contributions have failed to provide a complete framework towards technological adaptation in higher learning. The approach taken by the researchers is a holistic one as it considers concrete aspects not considered in the previous literature. For this purpose, responses are collected from 240 faculty members of higher education institutions using the online survey method with the help of a structured research questionnaire. The scale of the items was adopted from the existing literature and modified to fit the research objectives. After testing for the outliers and reliability, 231 samples are finally considered. The partial least square structural equation modelling method is employed to test and validate the proposed model. Results of the study show that performance expectation, self‐efficacy, social influence and facilitating conditions have a significant influence on the teachers’ intention towards the use of the online teaching–learning method, which leads to the actual use of this ICT‐based teaching–learning method. In addition, the study highlights that the age of teachers has a negative but significant influence on the intention to use, and discipline has a positive effect. Nevertheless, the institutional level has a negative and significant influence on teachers’ actual use of online teaching–learning methods. The findings can help to design strategies for teaching–learning in recent times.