Determinants of Technology Acceptance of an e-learning platform

The purpose of this research is to identify and collect empirical evidence about the factors that influence the acceptance of the FARMER 4.0 e-learning tool. To this aim, the theoretical approach proposed by Davis (1985) in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was followed. The proposed TAM extension included the most commonly used external variables identified by analyzing TAM publications from the last ten years in the three main sectors to which the FARMER 4.0 belongs: agriculture, virtual reality, and e-learning. The proposed model was later validated with the participation of a convenience sample of farmers. The present investigation results help to identify improvement directions for FARMER 4.0 to increase its user base, allowing more people to benefit from the platform. A better acceptance of this tool will also enable a faster transition towards Agriculture 4.0 and strengthen this sector's competitive advantage. From a more general perspective, the findings can also provide empirical evidence to technology designers and TAM researchers regarding the most critical variables to consider when designing and assessing similar tools.