<p>Although the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, lingering negative experiences with online learning continue to exert significant long-term influences. The pandemic serves as a disruptive intervention that warrants an in-depth investigation to understand how such crises influence long-term perceptions and online learning practices. Using the Technology-User-Environment theoretical framework, this longitudinal study examines the key factors influencing students’ intentions to engage in online learning, as well as how the effects of these factors have evolved before, during, and after the pandemic. A total of 2,250 valid questionnaires were collected through three waves of independently pooled cross-sectional data spanning from 2016 to 2024. The data was analyzed using ANOVA and multiple regression techniques. Key findings indicate students’ intentions of engaging in online learning declined significantly during the pandemic but showed a notable rebound post-pandemic. Specifically, perceived benefits such as usefulness, performance-to-cost value and accessibility, exhibited a fluctuating impact on online learning intentions, with a sharp decline during the pandemic followed by a rebound in the post-pandemic period. The importance of self-regulation skills was amplified during the pandemic, underscoring the necessity of strong self-regulatory capabilities in remote learning environments. In contrast, the negative influences of traditional learning preferences and inadequate institutional support were significantly intensified during the pandemic and continued to hinder online learning intention after the pandemic. These insights deepen our understanding of the dynamic impacts of the key factors on online learning, and offer valuable implications for educational institutions and policymakers to address and mitigate the adverse effects of the pandemic on individuals’ online learning intentions.</p>