The effects of appearance and organization and information architecture on the continued intention to use MOOCs

Abstract

This study assesses the effects of several factors related to appearance, organization and information architecture on the continued intention to use Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The theoretical framework used was the Stimulus-Organism-response (SOR). This model postulates some intermediate constructs associated with cognitive absorption, which are temporal dissociation, focused immersion, and curiosity. The sample in this study was formed by 533 students from different universities who voluntarily accepted to participate in the experiment. An application MOOC prototype was created to collect data from participants and used to validate the proposed research model and hypotheses. An assessment questionnaire based on prior related research was established to corroborate the planned relationships. The partial least squares method was used to analyze the collected data. It was found that the design characteristics increased the level of curiosity and immersed participants in the learning environment, causing them to lose their sense of time and develop a sense of temporal dissociation. Subsequently, these constructs evidenced a significant and positive effect on the continued intention to use. This study aims to draw the attention of e-learning service providers to learners’ perceptions of learning resources.