Acceptance of the use of e-learning systems during the COVID -19 pandemic: A case study of the librarians of Tehran Province Public Libraries

The aim of the current research is to investigate the factors influencing the acceptance of the use of e-learning systems by the librarians of Tehran Province libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the effects of computer self-efficacy, diversity of skills, organizational support, teacher’s characteristics, and quality of course content on the technology acceptance model (TAM) variables, including the subjective perception of the utility, and subjective perception of convenience, attitude toward use technology and the intention to use e-learning systems were examined.

The present study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of data collection and analysis. The statistical population included librarians of public libraries in Tehran province. The statistical sample size was 217 based on Cochran’s formula. The main data collection tool was a questionnaire which was validated by six experts. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) by SmartPLS software.

The findings indicated that the mental perception of usefulness and mental perception of ease of use affect the intention and desire of employees to use e-learning systems. Furthermore, the external variables studied in the research, namely computer self-efficacy, diversity of skills, organizational support, teacher’s characteristics, and course quality have a positive and significant effect on the acceptance of e-learning systems in the organization.
The highest total effect is related to the variable of skill and quality of course content and the lowest total effect is related to the variable of organizational support and behavioral intention.

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E-learning plays an important role in education and development in the organizational environment, and e-learning systems have become a popular tool to facilitate teaching-learning processes that provide flexible learning-oriented education. Since the development and deployment of technologies is not enough to enjoy their benefits, and in order to achieve the potential benefits of a technology, its acceptance by users should be considered, the findings of this research can provide practical implications for organizational managers, trainers and developers of educational systems.