Determinants of university students’ attitudes towards smart devices in the smart campus environment

Considering the rapid advancement of information and communication technology, smart campuses represent a significant evolution of digital campus, integrating intelligent technologies to enhance educational quality, resource allocation, and management efficiency. However, the factors influencing university students’ comprehensive experiences and perceptions of smart devices usage within the broader, integrated smart campus environment remain insufficiently understood. Addressing this gap, the present study integrates the technology acceptance model with the task-technology fit theory and perceived risk theory to investigate the factors influencing university students’ attitudes toward using smart devices (ATT) in the smart campus environment. The results from a sample of 428 Chinese university students obtained using partial least squares structural equation modeling reveal that perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), and information security significantly influence students’ ATT, whereas learning support and perceived interactivity exert indirect effects on ATT through PU and PEU. This study deepens the understanding of technology acceptance in highly technology-integrated smart campus environments, advances human-centered research on the smart campus, and provides practical insights to facilitate the effective implementation and broader adoption of smart devices on a smart campus, thereby supporting the sustainable development of higher education.