The last three decades have witnessed noteworthy innovations in the higher educational landscape, owing to the widespread growth of information and communication technologies (ICT), enabled by the internet aiding E-learning. E-learning is at the nexus of the convergence of pedagogical and technological innovations that are redefining the higher education system. Among the various e-learning tools, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) have emerged as game changers in the online learning ecosystem. For a comprehensive understanding of MOOC phenomena, this research presents a consolidation of six learner-centric, conceptually inter-related, independent studies highlighting the behavioural attributes associated with adopting and using asynchronous and synchronous E- learning tools.

Using GIOIA methodology as the overarching framework, the first part of our study adopted a 2-stage qualitative content analysis approach to explore the MOOC related contents published in electronic news discourses and examined how Indian online news media reflects, shapes and informs narratives about the social acceptance and use of the MOOCs. With literature showcasing only fragmented evidence on the use of MOOCs for professional development (PD), we developed a case study on the PD courses offered by Campus-IL, a national digital learning platform, developed under the Ministry of Social Equality, Government of Israel. To understand the user perspective, further to this case, this study also captured mental reflections of K-12 teachers who enrolled for the Micro-credential courses offered through Campus-IL. Drawing insights from multiple theoretical frameworks from the domains of information systems and psychology, and by adopting different methodological tools, in the next part of our study, we conducted a qualitative and two quantitative survey-based studies on student samples from India to examine the learner perceptions and behavioural attributes leading to behavioural intention, actual usage and continuance intention towards MOOC enrolment and usage. With the massive impact of COVID-19 on the global educational sector, our research also delved into examining the role of synchronous e-learning tools such as the video conferencing applications as a measure of educational continuity to build institutional resilience during times of uncertainty. Our study contributes to the burgeoning literature and body of research that focuses on the various human- technology interface issues associated with the adoption of both asynchronous and synchronous e-learning tools.