Exploring University Students' Level Of Online Learning Acceptance

Problem Statement: The students' adoption process of online learning environments is important for the quality and success of learning. Studying students' levels of online learning acceptance in terms of gender, education level, and study field and examine the differences which can occur as a result of the variables such as gender, education level and field is important for creating and designing the online learning environments by higher education institutions. Purpose of Study: The purpose of study is to examine the level of online learning acceptance of university students studying in university by using online learning systems in terms of their gender, education level and study field. Methods: This research is a descriptive study employing a survey model. The sampling group of the research comprises 1416 university students studying in associate and undergraduate degree programs in Karadeniz Technical University. The participants attending the study continue at least two courses of undergraduate program during two academic terms by using distance learning systems. In the study, the questionnaire developed by Lee (2000) was adapted to Turkish. The validity and reliability studies of the survey were conducted with a large group. The data were gathered via the survey. Results: The results of this study showed that differences in terms of gender and education level emerged in the mean scores of online learning acceptance of students significantly. Male students scored significantly higher than female students on online learning acceptance. Undergraduate students also scored significantly higher than associate students on online learning acceptance. There were significant differences among the students' online learning acceptance in terms of study field. The students studying in Natural Sciences scored significantly higher than other students on online learning acceptance. Conclusions: The results of the study showed that university students' level of online learning acceptance differs greatly in terms of their genders, education levels and study field.