Abstract:
Digital technology is now woven deeply into the fabric of university teaching and learning ranging
from the institutional provision of learning management systems, e-journals and plagiarism detection
tools, to the widespread individual use of word-processing, email, Google, Wikipedia and social
media platforms. Nevertheless, lack of user acceptance has long been an impediment to the success
of internet based pedagogical services including online learning courses. At the same time, attractive
interfaces with high aesthetic qualities and user-cantered orientation, arouses attention, are easier to
learn, produce more harmonious results and work better. The present research addresses why
students accept or refuse internet based pedagogical systems and how students’ acceptance is
affected by the system or technological platform design features. It predominantly reviews the nature
of technological acceptance, which is mediated by distinct factor groups related to the psychology of
the end-users, the design process of information technology and the quality of the technology in enduser
terms by conceptually integrating the theories, technology acceptance model (TAM), theory of
planned behaviour (TPB), unified theory of acceptance (UTAUT) and diffusion of innovation theory
(DIT), in a voluntary environment. The paper draws upon data gathered from a survey of
postgraduate students across 3 Sri Lankan universities in Colombo district. The analysis is based on
descriptive and inferential statistics and was analysed using SPSS. The structural equation model is
applied to analyse the relationships demarcated in the theoretical model of the study. Subsequently,
based on the outcomes, this study provides valuable insights on managerial interventions,
investments and controls for better organizational online learning management that can lead to
greater acceptance and effective utilization.
