The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many college students in developing countries to engage in online learning for the first time, and the sudden transit has raised concerns regarding students’ competencies for, perception of, and attitude towards online learning. To address those concerns, this study measured three essential constructs of online learning (self-regulated learning, perceived presences, and learning motivation) based on a national survey in China (N = 12,826) and employed structural equation modeling to investigate their intertwined relationship. The study results reveal that (1) college students’ academic achievement cannot effectively predict their self-regulated learning in an online learning context; (2) self-regulation can be further differentiated into general and task-specific strategies with a varying impact on three types of presences; (3) online learning motivation is best predicted by cognitive presence, followed by social presence and teaching presence; and (4) the path of task-specific self-regulated learning → cognitive presence → online learning motivation generates the largest positive compound effect. Implications for online teaching and learning practice are also discussed through the stakeholder perspectives of students, teachers, and platform developers.

This study explored the relationship between technology acceptance and learning satisfaction in the context of blended learning, with a particular focus on the mediating effects of online behaviors, emotional experience, social belonging, and higher-order thinking. A total of 110 Chinese university students participated in this study and completed a questionnaire at the end of 11 weeks of blended learning. The results demonstrate that technology acceptance directly and indirectly relates to blended learning satisfaction. The mediation analysis further revealed two significant mediating pathways from technology acceptance to blended learning satisfaction: one through higher-order thinking, and the other through serial mediation of emotional experience, social belonging, and higher-order thinking. Moreover, there was no significant mediating effect of online learning behaviors on blended learning satisfaction. Based on these results, we have proposed practical implications for improving blended learning practice to promote learner satisfaction. These results contribute to our understanding of blended learning as an integrated construct under the triadic interplay of technical environment, learning behaviors, and individual perceptions.

Online teaching is considered an important approach for achieving sustainable learning and education, and college teachers’ attitude and behavioral intention are essential for the sustainable adoption of online teaching practice in higher education institutions. To examine the influencing factors that sustain teachers’ attitude toward online teaching and behavioral intention, we conducted a cross-sectional study based on a sample of 1102 college teachers in Central China using hierarchical linear regression analysis to explore the possible influencing factors at the following four levels: individual experience, environmental support, self-perception, and technology acceptance. The study results show that the subjective norms, readiness, beliefs, and perceived usefulness of online teaching had a significant impact on the teachers’ attitude toward online teaching and behavioral intention. Nevertheless, the effect varied with factors like the online teaching load and teachers’ technology self-efficacy, and their influence seemed to be singular, affecting the teachers’ attitude toward online teaching or behavioral intention exclusively. In contrast, previous online teaching experience did not notably affect either. The findings of this study reveal the complex interactions of the factors that influence college teachers’ disposition toward and decisions about online teaching practices and emphasize the need for targeted strategies to maintain and enhance online education in the post-pandemic era.

Online teaching is considered an important approach for achieving sustainable learning and education, and college teachers’ attitude and behavioral intention are essential for the sustainable adoption of online teaching practice in higher education institutions. To examine the influencing factors that sustain teachers’ attitude toward online teaching and behavioral intention, we conducted a cross-sectional study based on a sample of 1,102 college teachers in central China, using hierarchical linear regression analysis to explore possible influencing factors in four levels: individual experience, environmental support, self-perception, and technology acceptance. The study results show that the subjective norms, readiness, beliefs, and perceived usefulness of online teaching had a significant impact on teachers’ attitude toward online teaching and behavioral intention. Nevertheless, the effect varied with factors like online-teaching load and teachers’ technology self-efficacy, as their influence seemed to be singular, affecting the teachers’ attitude toward online teaching or behavioral intention exclusively. In contrast, previous online-teaching experience did not notably affect either. The findings of this study reveal the complex interactions of factors that influence college teachers’ disposition toward and decisions about online-teaching practices and emphasize the need for targeted strategies to maintain and enhance online education in the post-pandemic era.