Abstract:
Technology has taken over tasks initially carried
out by professionals in virtually all industries and sectors,
ranging from self-checking at airports to money transfer via
mobile devices. The internet has become one primary
information resource for learning in the education sector.
Due to the introduction of mobile devices such as
smartphones, the e-learning market has evolved. E-learning
applications can help students actively maintain their
academic schedules irrespective of their location and time.
E-learning is becoming a reality even in less developed
countries like Kenya. Mobile apps have become very
beneficial to users. However, mobile app developers have
not paid much attention to the end-users point of view. This
study aims to determine the factors influencing university
students' Perceived Usefulness of mobile apps. A quantitative
research design was applied. An online self-completion
questionnaire collected data, and the WarpPLS – SEM
(version 7.0) software for data analysis. This paper applied
the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
(UTAUT) with the Technology Acceptance Theory (TAM) to
develop a model. The latent variables that were found to
predict perceived usefulness were security (β = 0.219, ρ
<0.001), effort expectancy (β = 0.247, ρ <0.001), social
influence (β = 0.141, ρ <0.001) and perceived ease of use (β
= 0.123, ρ <0.012). The findings show that effort expectancy
is a more powerful predictor of perceived Usefulness than
the others. This paper adds to theory and practice by
providing new research directions. These are for the
academic world and insights for app developers and
marketers to adapt their marketing strategies to meet the
customers' needs.
UTAUT and TAM are applicable theories for und