Evaluating the impact of quality antecedents on university students’ e-learning continuance intentions: A post COVID-19 perspective

Abstract

AbstractThe COVID−19 pandemic forced service providers to resort to online servicescapes across diverse industries globally. However, with the epidemic curve flattening in most parts of the world and the pandemic showing indications to phasing out, educational institutions are now operating on the continuum between blended e-learning and full-scale e-learning services. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of e-learning quality antecedents on university students’ e-learning continuance intentions in Zimbabwe post the COVID−19 pandemic. The study adopted a causal research design within the positivism research paradigm. The study population were undergraduate students using e-learning at three universities in Zimbabwe. A random sampling procedure was employed to collect data. A quantitative approach validated 311 responses using covariance-based Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in SPSS AMOS. The study revealed positive and statistically significant relationships between three quality factors (system quality, instructor quality and information quality) and students’ e-learning continuance intentions (p < 0.001). However, the impact of support service quality on e-learning continuance intentions was not statistically significant. The paper flags the key roles of instructor quality, information quality and system quality as key determinants of students’ willingness to continue using e-learning systems in a post COVID−19 era. Universities were urged to design e-learning systems that engulf state of the art communication technology attributes to ensure robustness, flexibility, speed, security, visual appeal, compatibility, availability and user-friendliness. The study also recommends periodical reviews to motivation, resourcing, training and development strategies for e-learning instructors to enhance their delivery during e-learning service encounters.

Keywords

• E-learning
• continuance intentions
• system quality
• instructor quality
• support service quality
• information quality