Student Perception of Mobile Self-assessment: an Evaluation of the Technology Acceptance Model

Abstract

Assessment has always been a very important step in the learning process. The use of mobile devices for assessment makes possible the creation of new types of assessment activities. MobiSWAP (Mobile Semantic Web Assessment Personalization) system provides mobile self-assessment resources considering contextual information. Mobile self-assessment offers ubiquitous access to testing material anytime and anyplace. It has the potential to complement and to enhance other assessment delivery modes (i.e. paper-and-pencil based assessment and computer-based assessment). However, the effective development of a mobile self-assessment depends essentially on students’ acceptance. The research purpose aims to build a model that demonstrates the factors that affect university students’ intention to use a mobile self-assessment. An experiment study was conducted with 40 university students enrolled in an Object Oriented Programing course. Experiment’s results help to derive the factors that influence the use of self-assessment in mobile environment. The proposed model, Mobile Self-Assessment Acceptance Model (MSAAM) combines two theoretical frameworks: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Self-Determination Theory of Motivation (SDT). Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used to test the measurement and the structural model. Results indicate that Perceived Ease of Use and Attitudes Towards Use have a direct effect on mobile self-assessment Intention to Use. Perceived Usefulness, Competency, Autonomy and Relatedness have only indirect effects. The study confirms Technology Acceptance Model and showed that Self Determination Theory can be useful in predicting students’ acceptance in the context of mobile self-assessment.