Internet-based teaching: how to encourage university students to adopt advanced Internet-based technologies?

Despite the growing interest in Internet-based teaching and the application of advanced Internet technologies in education, research investigating the use of advanced Internet-based technologies has been very scarce. The objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of factors influencing students´ actual usage of sophisticated Internet-based technologies (IBT) in virtual classroom settings. Informed by theories on general human behavior and media choice behavior, we have constructed a model that explains the contribution of various factors to the students´ intention to use the technology as well as their actual usage of it. The model has then been tested empirically in a longitudinal study with a survey. Data collected from 60 (student) respondents show that social factors and the students´ perceptions regarding potential consequences of the use of IBT significantly affect their intentions to use these technologies. Our results also indicate that facilitating conditions, student habits, and student intentions were significantly related to the students´ actual usage of IBT. The implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.