Designing for curiosity enhances absorption and continued intention to use MOOCs

Abstract

Rapid technological growth and frequent modification in user usage behavior consequently emerge new challenges for online learning service providers to continuously determine individuals’ experiences to maintain their level of engagement. Accessible interfaces and interactive services play a key role in increasing user engagement with technologies. The intent is to seek deeper insights to determine potential interface design features that heighten curiosity and absorption, leading to continued intention to use. An application MOOC prototype was created to collect data from participants and used to validate the proposed research model and hypotheses. The partial least squares method was used to analyze the collected data. It was found that the design characteristics increased the level of curiosity and immersed participants in the learning environment, causing them to lose their sense of time and develop a sense of temporal dissociation. This study will draw the attention of e-learning service providers to learners' perceptions of learning resources.