E-Learning in Jordanian Higher Education: Cultural Perspectives and Institutional Readiness

This study explores students’ acceptance of e-learning technology in Jordanian higher educational institutions. A paucity of studies that were conducted in individual institutions indicated that different cultural perspectives and resistance to change are overlaying the wide adoption of e-learning and influencing users’ perceptions pertaining the technology usefulness and/or ease of use. Our study utilises the technology acceptance model (TAM) and explores the influence of the main antecedents of accepting this technology from users’ perspectives, that is, perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU) in order to reveal the country’s readiness to adopt this technology and move from individual innovations to institutional standards. The results obtained using a survey-based methodology from three main public and private institutions distributed in multiple geographical areas show that the actual behaviour of usage is influenced by behavioural intention (BI), which is directed by PU, PEU, and attitude. Based on these results, multiple recommendations pertaining to cultural perspectives and educational institutions readiness are proposed and implications of the study are discussed.