College students’ use and acceptance of emergency online learning due to COVID-19

Due to COVID-19, higher education institutions transitioned to online learning. This study explored college students’ perceptions of their adoption, use, and acceptance of emergency online learning. The factors analyzed were attitude, affect, and motivation; perceived behavioral control (ease of use of technology, self-efficacy, and accessibility), and cognitive engagement. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 270 students. The findings present how attitude, motivation, self-efficacy, and use of technology play a significant role in the cognitive engagement and academic performance of students. Also, participants preferred face-to-face learning over online learning. This study presents suggestions on how to improve the acceptance of emergency online learning.