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During the last two decades, many businesses around the world have adopted enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. ERP systems are enterprise-wide customizable software packages that integrate information and business processes (Rosemann & Watson, 2002; Devadoss & Pan, 2007; Saygili, Ozturkoglu, & Kocakulah, 2017). “They are designed to address the problem of information fragmentation or ‘islands of information’ in business organizations (Muscatello & Chen, 2008).” Because ERP carries the most effective, efficient, and cross-functional integrative capabilities, ERP use is important in today’s business settings (Khattak et al., 2013; Vom Brocke et al., 2018). The existing literature indicates that the implementation of an ERP system created sustained value (Hawking & Sellitto, 2015; Saygili et al., 2017; Ali & Miller, 2017). Consequently, the growth in the number of businesses implementing ERP systems has had an enormous impact on the demand for ERP skills. This is one of the main reasons that many universities have adopted ERP in their management information systems (MIS) curriculum (Bandyopadhyay & Bandyopadhyay, 2019). Although there are some studies indicating that using an ERP system helps students to better understand business processes and integration (Halonen, Thomander, & Laukkanen, 2010; Darban, Kwak, Deng, Srite, & Lee, 2016), the educational benefits of instructional use of ERP systems are still mostly based on anecdotal statements from faculty and students rather than on empirical measured data secured by educational research methods (Noguera & Watson, 2004; Ruhi, 2016). Understanding the factors that lead to student learning outcomes and satisfaction in ERP courses can be of great help to MIS instructors in colleges and universities. Instructors can use this information as they formulate and refine curriculum that focuses on or includes ERP concepts and modules.
Because ERP related skills are in great demand, the learning and practice of ERP in higher education can also improve students’ marketability, thus helping them to obtain higher paying jobs (Ruhi, 2016; Singh, 2016). Employers expect new college graduates to understand how companies function in today’s economy, which requires knowledge of basic business processes and the technology used to support them. Implementing realistic ERP with hands-on practice in the curricula helps companies hire college students with real-world experience (Wixom et al., 2014). The content of an ERP course should include an explanation of and hands-on experience with key business processes (Rienzo & Han, 2011). Regardless of the software used, the course content should be a blend of information about ERP and hands-on experiences (Ngo-Ye, 2016). Meanwhile, it is important to understand the factors that lead to students’ acceptance of ERP, so that instructors can facilitate student learning of ERP concepts and the systems. Graduates with a basic understanding of ERP concepts and systems have a competitive advantage over those who do not have such an understanding when entering the workforce (Alshare & Lane, 2011). Sager, Mensching, Corbitt, and Connolly (2006) tracked graduates from their College of Business and found that students graduating with an extensive ERP background consistently obtained higher salaries than students without this background. Barkhi and Kozlowski (2017) found that the average salaries of students who possessed SAP ERP skills were about 20 percent higher than their counterparts.