Usage of E-Learning Platforms amongst Private Tertiary Students: A Case Study of Botho University

Since the integration of technology in teaching and learning, it has been observed that there is improvement in the acquisition and retention of knowledge. There is also existing body of research on adoption of e-learning platforms by students in institutions of Higher Education across the world. However, few of the existing studies has involved students in private tertiary education institutions in Botswana. Therefore, this study has set out to explore student usage of e-learning platforms, their attitudes, and the hurdles that they face in their daily usage of e-learning platforms in Botho University.

The population of the study was students of Botho university Francistown campus. Stratified random sampling was used to select participants from the target population, and data was collected from a total of 40 students (23 males and 17 females) across all faculties and years of study. The research tools used were questionnaire, focus group interviews, and observation to collect data. The study applied the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) which is normally used to describe user acceptance of technology.

The study revealed a significant usage of e-learning platforms as the majority of learners belonged to the category of high users of e-learning platforms. This was shown by their positive ratings of the dimensions of TAM considered by this research (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and actual system usage). There were significant variables alongside these positive ratings and they are participant’s age, gender, year of study and faculty. The variables “age” and “year of study” were statistically significant and were believed to have influenced the participant’s responses/ratings, and the variables “gender” and “faculty” were not statistically significant. The study further collected learner’s views about the challenges/hindrances that they face in their daily usage of e-learning platforms. The learners appreciated the learning technology and shared that the features available in e-learning platforms allow them to extend their learning outside the traditional form of learning, thus accommodating their learning needs. However, they noted challenges that normally hinder their learning such as files not opening or not downloading when needed, limited interaction and unreliable internet connection. Most of these barriers showed the technical problems that are common in e-learning. Participants shared their suggestions to address the challenges identified. The study was concluded with some recommendations for future research.