Technology Acceptance and Effective Utilization of Academic ERP/LMS Systems in Higher Education

The fast-paced digital transformation of higher education has led to the increased adoption of Academic Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Learning Management System (LMS) platforms for teaching, learning, administration, communication, assessment and academic decision-making purposes. Nevertheless, the availability of these digital tools does not always imply their effective utilization. The users may be able to access advanced digital platforms but underutilize them due to low perceived usefulness, poor usability, insufficient training, complex technology, lack of institutional support and resistance to change. This paper presents an integrated theoretical model to investigate the factors affecting technology acceptance and utilization of the academic ERP/LMS systems by the higher education users. The research will apply the constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), information system success perspectives and institutional factors in the developed conceptual framework. The model will incorporate perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, facilitating conditions, social influence, system quality, digital self-efficacy and institutional support as predictors of behavior intention and system usage. The effective usage will be defined through the frequency, breadth, depth and quality of the system utilization. The developed conceptual framework will help higher education institutions identify the factors that hinder technology adoption and develop measures for improving digital system usage.