Factors influencing the use of e-learning facilities by students in a private Higher Education Institution (HEI) in a developing economy

The study addresses a gap in understanding the determinants of e-learning adoption and use by students in private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Nigeria. Despite increased ICT investments, e-learning in Nigeria faces resistance due to poor awareness, infrastructure deficits, limited training, and funding constraints, and prior research has focused largely on public HEIs and issues of availability rather than student use in private institutions. The purpose is to explore, within the TOE framework, the technological, organizational, environmental, and impact-related factors that shape students’ adoption and use of e-learning in a private HEI (L-University). The study is important as private HEIs are growing and often more agile in ICT adoption, yet students’ effective use remains inconsistent; insights can guide institutions to enhance e-learning uptake and educational outcomes.

The literature defines e-learning as digitally enabled, technology-facilitated learning that leverages devices, software, and networked platforms to support both distance and face-to-face learning. E-learning shifts pedagogy from teacher-centered to learner-centered models, enabling flexible access, assessment, collaboration, and innovative instructional practices. In Nigeria, the evolution of e-learning paralleled telecommunications expansion, yet implementation has been hindered by unstable power supply, low bandwidth, insufficient funding, inadequate infrastructure, and limited training. Prior studies in Nigerian HEIs (largely public) report infrastructure deficits, limited access (often to basic tools like email), and barriers such as poor electricity, network issues, and lack of technical manpower. While private HEIs may be more agile and relatively better funded, pervasive challenges persist. The TOE framework (Tornatzky & Fleischer, 1990) is reviewed as a comprehensive lens incorporating technological, organizational, and environmental contexts influencing technology adoption; it is justified over alternatives for its inclusion of environmental factors and flexibility to integrate extended factors relevant to HEIs. The study extends TOE by adding an empirically derived "impact" context capturing anticipated benefits for students (experience, skills, performance, engagement).

Design: Qualitative, exploratory descriptive study using semi-structured interviews, underpinned by the TOE framework. Population and sampling: Students at L-University across three colleges—College of Business and Social Sciences (CBS), College of Science and Engineering (CSE), and College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS)—levels 100–500. Purposive sampling targeted students who (a) completed university e-learning training in the past year, (b) engaged in university e-learning activities in the past year, and (c) used available e-learning facilities. Of 70 contacted, 15 consented (5 per college). Data collection: Semi-structured interviews (~45–60 minutes) with at least 10 core questions covering technology, organization, and environment contexts; consent obtained and interviews audio-recorded. Interviewee profile included college, level, gender, and age. Data analysis: Hybrid thematic analysis combining theory-driven codes (Technology, Organization, Environment) and an empirically derived code (Impact). Seven-stage process: (1–2) develop codebook from literature and preliminary data; (3) manual coding of first four transcripts to test applicability and reliability; external experts reviewed codes/quotes with percentage agreement exceeding 70% benchmark; (4) import full transcripts into NVivo for coding; (5) retrieve and conceptually cluster data; (6) further reliability/validity checks with expert rating; inter-rater percentage agreements reported at 96% and 89% for scope assessed; (7) interpret validated codes and themes. Ethics: Confidentiality assured; permissions and informed consent obtained.

Sample: 15 students across three colleges and levels 100–400. Inter-rater reliability checks reported percentage agreements of 96% and 89% for coding validation. Identified factors shaping students’ use of e-learning facilities (structured by extended TOE): - Technology: • Ease of use (reported by all 15 participants): students can easily access materials, interact with lecturers, and study in comfort; platforms are simple and reduce effort. • Speed: quick downloads and feedback drive usage; faster systems increase trust and engagement. • Accessibility: ability to access platforms and materials from various locations promotes consistent use and timely assignment submission. • Service delivery: unstable internet/intranet impedes usage despite facility availability. - Organization: • Training support: both students and lecturers lack adequate training; insufficient skilled personnel and time constraints limit effective use. • Diversity (functionality): multifunctional platforms (materials, discussions, clips, submissions) increase student motivation and use. - Environment: • Attitudes of users: lecturers’ reluctance (especially some older staff) to upload materials and adopt platforms discourages student use. - Impact (empirically derived): • Learning experience: prior experiences and early exposures shape subsequent use; negative early encounters (e.g., unstable systems) reduce reliance. • Skill development: reported gains in reading, creative, communication, and presentation skills (e.g., PowerPoint). • Academic performance: many students (notably at higher levels) report improved preparation and grades due to timely access to lecture notes and resources. • Degree of engagement: reciprocal engagement—consistent lecturer use (posting notes, clips) compels regular student use. Quantitative indications from participants’ reports: - 100% cited technology-related factors influencing use (ease, speed, accessibility, service delivery). - 93% cited organization-related factors (training support, diversity). - 53% cited environment-related factor (attitudes of users). - 93% cited impact-related factors (experience, skills, performance, engagement).

Findings demonstrate that student adoption and use of e-learning in a Nigerian private HEI are strongly linked to technological ease, speed, accessibility, and reliable service delivery, confirming that user-friendly and performant systems catalyze engagement. Organizational enablers—particularly adequate, ongoing training for both students and lecturers and diversified platform functionalities—are critical to translating infrastructure into sustained use. Environmental influences, notably lecturers’ attitudes and willingness to integrate e-learning into teaching workflows, directly shape students’ engagement; lecturer non-use discourages student reliance. The empirically identified impact dimension highlights that improved learning experiences, skills acquisition, and academic outcomes reinforce sustained usage, underscoring a virtuous cycle when platforms are reliable and embedded in pedagogy. Collectively, these insights extend the TOE framework with an impact context, offering a more comprehensive understanding of adoption drivers in HEIs and emphasizing the need for institutions to address both technical and human factors to realize e-learning’s benefits.

The study contributes a qualitative, extended TOE-based framework identifying 12 factors influencing private HEI students’ use of e-learning facilities: technology (ease of use, speed, accessibility, service delivery), organization (training support, diversity), environment (attitudes of users), and impact (learning experience, skill development, academic performance, degree of engagement). Evidence indicates technology and organizational factors are most salient, with environmental attitudes and experienced impact also significant. Practical recommendations include: continuous training for staff and students (with focus on newcomers), regular mentoring and monitoring of student platform use, and reliable technical infrastructure (internet/intranet) across campus. Institutions should foster lecturer engagement and involve students and other stakeholders in e-learning decisions to enhance adoption. The extended TOE framework offers a guide for HEI management to design interventions that not only implement technology but also ensure positive educational impacts. Future research should validate the framework across broader samples, include lecturers’ perspectives, and explore variations across disciplines and institutional contexts.

- Small, purposive sample (15 students from one private HEI) limits generalizability; findings should be validated with larger and more diverse samples. - Student-only perspective; lacking lecturers’ and administrators’ viewpoints to triangulate attitudes and practices. - Context-specific infrastructural constraints (e.g., internet stability) may vary across institutions and regions. - Data not deposited due to confidentiality restrictions.