Evaluating Students’ Perceptions of Microsoft Teams for Online Academics Improvement

Abstract

Online academic learning throughout the world has gained much importance and this is mainly due to the presence of Information and Communication Technologies. The introduction of online learning has led to the vast usage of personal computers (PCs), tablets, laptops, and smartphones. Even so, due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, all physical academic activities stopped in educational institutes and the delivery of education was shifted to an online learning platform. From this standpoint, many educational institutes used various types of online applications such as Microsoft teams, Zoom, Skype, Whatsapp, and so on, to continue their studies which is an important aspect, particularly when there are no physical classes. These online applications have gained popularity because they offer an opportunity to connect with people anywhere, at any time. These online applications have provided a platform to share knowledge and experience with people around the globe. In education, these online applications play a vital role in strengthening the knowledge of students, teachers, and trainees. This paper focuses on the use of Microsoft teams as an online application in education and evaluates the effects of its use on university students’ performance in education. For this purpose, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been used to investigate the acceptance of Microsoft teams as an online source in education. For the study, data has been collected from the undergraduate and postgraduate students of Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science, and Technology, Nawabshah. Key parameters like ease of use and perceived usefulness have been considered for measuring the performance of students. The findings revealed that students had a positive impression of Microsoft Teams. Students expect that Microsoft teams will be utilized during online learning with some modifications so that learning may be done more successfully and efficiently.

Keywords

• Information & Communications Technology (ICT), Microsoft Teams, Online academic learning, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)