The effects of content design and usability on acceptance of proposed cloud-based e-learning framework

In this digital age where state-of-the-art technologies are evolving swiftly, innovative learning pedagogies have to be accelerated to empower more effective knowledge transfer and engage in lifelong learning. The conventional e-learning approaches have become insufficient to handle the requirements of upgraded learning processes especially in the higher education. The emergence of Cloud computing delivers a significant breakthrough and has gained considerable acceptance in e-learning field. However, despite the readiness of Cloud infrastructures for collaboration and wide accessibility such as Web 2.0 tools, the progress of redefining learning objects to suit e-learning in Cloud environment is not so encouraging. So far, there has been rather little activity being carried out to ensure that e-learning applications are being designed in such a way that promote flexibility use of the learning content. With the availability of Internet and Cloud computing, an e-learning framework utilizing Cloud technology is envisioned. This paper describes a study on the effects of content design and usability on the acceptance of proposed Cloud-based e-learning framework. The study was conducted on a group of 350 IT undergraduates in one of the private universities in Malaysia to evaluate the acceptance of the proposed frameworks. The students were given one trimester to experience the usability of the learning modules developed based on the proposed Cloud-based e-learning framework. As an instrument to analyse the effects of content design and usability on the framework acceptance, a questionnaire consisting twenty four questions was devised and used. There are two independent variables, namely Content Design (CD) and Usability (U), and one dependent variable, namely Acceptance (A), in the research instrument. The results were analysed and reported by running the data in a few statistical tests using SMARTPLS 3.0. The results from this study observed that Cloud-based e-learning modules developed based on the proposed Cloud learning framework is positively accepted by IT undergraduates in the private university. This implies that the proposed Cloud-based e-learning framework can be engaged in the development of a new e-learning infrastructure or application in the future.