ONLINE EDUCATION: EVALUATION OF STUDENTS PERCEPTION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The pandemic of COVID-19 caused a dramatic shift in education and the educational process. This has had a significant impact on e-learning and m-learning instructional activities via digital platforms, which are now widely used by learners and instructors. The acceptance and use of these platforms is a topic of interest among researchers, and this study seeks to assess users' perceptions of online education during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) structural model was used to capture behavioral intention and use behavior. The results obtained showed that performance expectancy has the greatest influence on behavioral intention, which has the greatest influence on use behavior. Furthermore, use behavior is largely influenced by behavioral intention, followed by the facilitating conditions, and performance expectancy. In contrast, the results showed that effort expectancy has no effect on behavioral intention. Furthermore, the clear majority of students believe that online education and the usage of e-learning/m-learning technologies are useful, simple to use, and contribute to the more efficient completion of work duties during the learning process. In addition, they aim to continue using online platforms and education in future learning activities.