Author –
Yash Mantri, Priyanshi Dangi, Vedant Agrwal
Introduction –
Online learning platforms have become an integral part of modern education, offering students access to digital resources and remote learning opportunities. The effectiveness of these platforms depends largely on their usability and the flexibility they provide to learners. Ease of use helps students engage better with online systems, while flexibility allows them to manage learning alongside other commitments. Understanding the relationship between these two factors is essential for improving online education outcomes.
Objective –
To calculate beta and observe its significance in determining the relationship between ease of use of online platforms and flexibility in online learning.
Literature Review –
Davis (1989) emphasized that perceived ease of use significantly influences user acceptance of technology and enhances learning efficiency in digital environments.
Sun et al. (2008) found that flexibility and system usability play a critical role in student satisfaction and effectiveness of e-learning systems.
Data Collection –
The data was collected through a structured questionnaire administered to students. Responses were recorded using a 5-point Likert scale. The variables selected for the study were “I find online platforms easy to use” (independent variable X) and “I value flexibility in online learning” (dependent variable Y). A total of 95 valid responses were used for analysis. The dependent variable (Y) was regressed on the independent variable (X).
Data Analysis –
The regression equation obtained is:
Flexibility = 1.98 + 0.48 (Ease of Use)
N = 95, indicating the number of observations
R² = 0.246, which means 24.6% of the variation in flexibility is explained by ease of use
Beta (slope) = 0.48, showing a positive relationship between the variables
t-statistic = 5.51 and p-value < 0.01, indicating that ease of use is statistically significant at the 1% level
F-statistic = 30.36 with p-value < 0.01, confirming that the overall regression model is statistically significant
The positive beta value indicates that as ease of use of online platforms increases, students’ perception of flexibility in online learning also increases. Specifically, a one-unit increase in ease of use leads to an increase of 0.48 units in perceived flexibility.
Conclusion –
Since the beta value is positive and statistically significant, ease of use has a meaningful impact on flexibility in online learning. This suggests that improving the usability of online platforms can significantly enhance students’ learning flexibility. Therefore, educational institutions should focus on designing user-friendly online systems to improve overall learning effectiveness.
References –
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340.
Sun, P. C., Tsai, R. J., Finger, G., Chen, Y. Y., & Yeh, D. (2008). What drives a successful e-learning? An empirical investigation of the critical factors influencing learner satisfaction. Computers & Education, 50(4), 1183–1202.