When Experience Turns Attitude into Action: The Moderating Role of Technical Experience in E-Learning Adoption among University Staff in Libya

Abstract

Positive attitudes toward e-learning do not always become a commitment to use it. This study examines whether employees' technical experience with e-learning strengthens the link between attitude and intention, and so helps explain when favourable evaluations are translated into behavioural plans. Survey data were collected from 365 academic and administrative employees of the University of Tripoli, Libya, between January and June 2026. A model in which perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use shape attitude, and attitude and experience shape intention, was estimated with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). An interaction term tested the moderating effect of experience. Attitude had a strong positive effect on intention to use e-learning (β = 0.486, p < 0.001). Experience positively moderated this relationship (β = 0.254, t = 4.080, p < 0.001). Simple slopes derived from the estimates indicate that the effect of attitude on intention rises from about 0.23 among less experienced employees to about 0.74 among more experienced employees. The model explained 59.2% of the variance in intention. The study reframes experience from a factor that weakens the role of beliefs to one that strengthens attitude-behaviour consistency, drawing on attitude-strength theory. In a fragile higher education system, it shows that building employees' hands-on experience is a precondition for favourable attitudes to become committed use.