부산대학교 도서관

Higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world tend to incorporate various online learning platforms, such as Moodle, Google Classroom, Blackboard, Canvas, Virtual University Expert System (VUES), with the aim of shaping academic activities, which are knowledge sharing and knowledge creating. Despite its numerous benefits and usefulness highlighted in literature, majority are hesitant and reluctant to use online learning platforms available in Bangladesh. Alternatively, scholars from diverse disciplines have identified the construct 'social influence' as a prevailing predictor of the variable 'behavioral intention' to adopt numerous online platforms: blogs, e-services, online game and the predictor, social influence, plays a substantial role in embracing online learning as well as communicating the usefulness of various e-learning platforms. The study, therefore, is spearheaded to ascertain the role of social influence in facilitating learners' behavioral intention to accept online learning and communicating the usefulness of the e-learning in Bangladesh. To manifest the effect that one variable has on another, the study analyzed data of one hundred respondents surveyed randomly and confirmed the existence of the significant relationships: social influence (SI) and behavioral intention (BI), social influence (SI) and perceived usefulness (PU) in facilitating online learning acceptance, which provides an outline to the educators to comprehend behavior of the learners. The result of the study may also assist the educators and administrators to devise useful initiatives to intensify penetration rate of using online learning within the institution in Bangladesh. The research further adds to the existing literature that explains adoption and acceptance behavior of online education.