Determinants of Learners’ Intention to Continue Using the E-learning Program of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI)

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of the learners’ attitude, perceived satisfaction and perceived e-Learning effectiveness, on their intention to continue using the ATI’s e-Learning program for agriculture and fishery in the Philippines. This study was conducted in the 16 regions of the Philippines where the ATI Network of Regional Training Centers were located. The respondents included 960 adult-learners, consisting of e-Learning enrollees and e-Learning graduates from 2009 to 2012. More than half, (58.9%) of the respondents were females, and nearly two-thirds (66.1%) were married. Their age level ranged from 16 to 63 years old with a mean age of 36 years old. More than half (56%) of the respondents were college graduates. More than two-thirds (67.9%) were agricultural extension workers and had a fair experience with e-Learning. They believed that the ATI's e-learning System is well-established, secure and stable. In its entirety, the respondents were satisfied with the course lab used by ATI. They preferred that a multi-media instruction would be used and recognized that the e-Learning system quality and the interactive learning activities of the program are important. The respondents pointed out that operating e-Learning boosted their self-efficacy/confidence and that the e-learning system is effective because it facilitated their learning efficiency, performance and motivation. They intended to continue the use of the ATI's e-Learning program because they could access a wide array of free digital resources like the course materials used that were placed online and the instructions provided were clear and easy to understand. It enhanced their knowledge and skills that are relevant to their field of specialization. They perceived the course contents as sufficient and related to their interests and they could easily contact the online support team anywhere to answer their queries. In addition, they perceived the instructions provided as sufficiently clear and easy to understand. Learners’ ability towards the e-learning program, as well as their perceived satisfaction and effectiveness of the program were significantly related with their intention to continue using the ATI’s e-Learning program.