Acceptance and Success Factors for M-learning of Erp Systems Curricula

The effective training of users is a key factor of the success of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system projects. This need for ERP system training is exacerbated by a demand for quality ERP consultants which is evident in Europe and in African countries, particularly in South Africa where science and technology education has been identified as a national priority. However, the high costs of traveling in developing countries within Africa can make it difficult to offer traditional face to face training by vendors. Mobile learning or m-learning has shown a significant rise in use by companies and researchers developing learning platforms. M-learning can be used to aid in the training of ERP users who are on the go as well as those who do not have direct access to desktop PCs in their work environment. Whilst several studies propose the use of m-learning systems, research related to the implementation and evaluations of m-learning systems which focus on ERP system education are limited. In this paper success factors for m-learning of ERP systems are identified. An understanding of these factors can improve the design of an ERP m-learning system, thereby facilitating an improvement in ERP and more broadly speaking, technology education. This paper reports on field studies where the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to evaluate the acceptance, usefulness and perceived ease of two systems, the OpenSAP e-learning application and the SAP Learn Now m-learning application. The study found that the m-learning system was accepted by the learners and was rated positively for perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU). The study results also showed that the TAM model could be successfully used to evaluate elearning and m-learning systems.