Factors Determining Academics’ Behavioral Intention and Usage Behavior towards Online Teaching Technologies during Covid-19: An Extension of the UTAUT

Abstract

Faced with lockdowns and social isolation because of COVID-19, alternative teaching methods such as online teaching allow academics and lecturers to teach students. Hence, the study aimed to investigate academics’ intention and behavioral patterns in adopting online educational technologies in Malaysia via the unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology (UTAUT) with an additional academics’ ethical considerations. The data were collected randomly from a sample of 321 academics from five Malaysian research universities using a questionnaire. For model and hypothesis testing, partial least squares (PLS) regression was utilized. The findings revealed that (1) ease of use, social influence, and ethical considerations all influenced behavioral intention significantly; and (2) facilitating conditions had positive relationships with usage behavior. The present results are consistent with the original UTAUT model and ethical considerations as an additional factor. The study findings serve as a beneficial guide for universities and educational planners who are programming online teaching technologies for use in universities.