DETERMINANTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS’ CONTINUANCE INTENTION TOWARD E-LEARNING IN THE POST COVID-19 ERA WITH AN EXTENDED UTAUT APPROACH

Abstract

The sustainability of e-learning in higher education has become a key concern in the post COVID-19 era as students are no longer compelled to rely on online learning. The limited empirical evidence explains students’ continuance intention once traditional classroom teaching resumes as prior studies have largely focused on the initial adoption of e-learning. To address this gap, the current study investigates the determinants of higher education students’ intention to continue using e-learning by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with student satisfaction and perceived learning effectiveness as mediating mechanisms. Using survey data collected from 350 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in public and private universities, the study employs Structural Equation Modeling through PLS-SEM 4.0 to analyze the data. The findings highlight the importance of experiential and outcome-based evaluations in shaping sustained e-learning usage. The study findings have contributed to e-learning literature by shifting the focus from adoption to post adoption continuance. The results provides actionable insights for higher education institutions seeking to sustain digital learning beyond crisis conditions.