Search results

In the COVID-19 pandemic, students were subjected to high pressure when they were forced to move to distance learning in a lockdown environment. Such a drastic move for communities living in groups with solid relationship ties comes at a price. This study aims to investigate the acceptance of distance learning amongst Omani higher education institutions (HEI) students during COVID-19 lockdown.

This is a quantitative research based on an online survey designed to study participants’ acceptance of distance learning during COVID-19 lockdown.

A sample of 757 Omani students was selected, of which 81.2% were female. About 60% of the students’ Age lies 15–20 years. The highest percentage (38.8%) of students belongs to the College of Arts and Humanities. A total of 80% of the students reported a moderate level of information technology skills, and also more than 80% of the students had never attended eLearning calls. Most of the students affirm the eLearning acceptance (students’ willingness to use eLearning tools for the tasks they are designed for), eLearning usefulness (using eLearning would enhance students’ performance), eLearning ease of use (the degree to which a student believes that using eLearning tools are free from effort), learning from home during COVID-19 and eLearning effectiveness (student’s satisfaction and the benefits student will gain from learning via online platforms). Multiple regression analysis confirms that more than 81% of the variation in the eLearning acceptance was explained by eLearning usefulness, eLearning ease of use, learning from home during COVID-19 and eLearning effectiveness independent variables. Moreover, these independent predictors have a positive association with eLearning acceptance.

This research intends to fill the gap in Omani HEI students’ acceptance of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of this paper is to offer insights into the development of eLearning systems and the perceptions of key players in the management of eLearning systems in three large universities in Saudi Arabia. It establishes the relative importance of different factors and compares these findings with studies conducted elsewhere in the world.

Desk research was conducted to gather a profile of the eLearning initiatives in the participating universities. Structured interviews were conducted with senior managers with responsibility for implementing and promoting eLearning in their universities. The interview protocol prompted discussion of the importance of the following sets of factors in the success and acceptance of eLearning: student characteristics, instructor characteristics, learning environment, instructional design, and support. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.

Supported by the Saudi Government, the three universities in this study have been developing their eLearning services. The two most important groups of critical success factors in this process were regarded as those related to student and instructor characteristics. Further analysis within each group of factors suggested that participants regarded instructor knowledge with learning technologies and student knowledge of computer systems, and technical infrastructure as important facilitators of success. Amongst instructional design factors, clarity of learning objectives and content quality were regarded as important. Insights are offered as to the reasons for these selections.

This study furthers earlier research on eLearning managers’ views and contributes to understanding of eLearning and its management in the Middle East.

This study aims to investigate the factors that influence user experience (UX) of eLearning systems implemented in two institutions in Tanzania.

The study adopted questionnaire consisting of Nielsen’s heuristics and didactic metrics as pragmatic metrics and hedonic metrics followed by focus group discussions with students.

The study found that the eLearning system of University of Dar es Salaam had 43 UX problems related to Nielsen’s heuristics and 54 UX problems related to didactic heuristics. The eLearning system of the Open University of Tanzania had 50 UX problems related to Nielsen’s heuristics and 59 UX problems related to didactic heuristics. Moreover, the two systems provided positive UX hedonic quality on identification and evocation dimensions while stimulation was perceived to be neutral.

The study has used learners as evaluators rather than expert evaluators. Learners are not particularly experienced in the learning domain, and therefore, it is difficult for them to identify many didactic violations of the eLearning systems.

The study contributes toward finding the underlying factors for non-use or underuse of the installed eLearning systems in various universities in sub-Saharan Africa.

This exploratory study seeks to identifythe factors that influence the adoption and diffusion of instructional technology at five prominent universities in the UK. The study aims to examine the organisational factors that enable and inhibit organisational adoption and diffusion of innovation.

A qualitative exploratory case approach has been adopted to address the research question. In total, 36 semi‐structured interviews were conducted at five universities in the UK. The five diverse approaches to adoption and diffusion of instructional technology were examined; top‐down, integrated top‐down, bottom‐up, research‐driven and project‐driven approach.

For this research eLearning is conceptualised as innovation situated in the interplay between structure and individual and how this leads to adoption and diffusion. The paper argues that senior management need to acknowledge the need to bridge the gap between “local context” and top‐down strategic change. The findings suggest that there are tensions between “signification of meaning”, “power and dominance” and cultural norms in adoption and diffusion of eLearning.

The implications of the research are significant in understanding the diversity of approaches to the adoption and diffusion of elearning. This provides insight for other universities in successfully managing the application of e‐learning.

Giddens's structuration theory provided a sensitising framework for understanding the dialectical nature of adoption of eLearning within five universities in the UK. The tensions between institutional structures, such as strategies, training, access to technology, technical support and time resources, and levels of adoption can be captured by dialectic of control in Giddens's Theory of Structuration.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and examine the antecedents that enable or constrain the adoption and diffusion of eLearning in higher education (HE). The key focus of the study is on the examination of how the organisation's diffusion structures, systems or processes influence the individual adoption of eLearning. The findings from this literature review contribute to practice through providing a better understanding of the issues associated with institutional diffusion mechanisms that aid the adoption of learning technologies.

An extensive search of the literature was conducted. The selected references were analysed into a number of categories; macro-level studies examining HE context of eLearning, micro-level studies focusing on individual and social factors and articles focusing on management issues of adoption and diffusion of technological innovations. Finally, over 300 articles were used to compile the findings of this paper.

The paper argues that future research studies should not model the adoption and diffusion of eLearning based primarily on either an individualist (Micro) or structuralist (Macro) perspective, but by using a more interactive approach to examine the complexity and multiple levels and dimensions of social reality.

A significant exclusion and one which clearly calls for further research, is the aspect of institutional structures such as library systems, virtual learning environments, administrative support systems and other technical systems such as enrolment, registration, assessment and students, with respect to the adoption of eLearning. Future studies may want to explore the interplay between these structures and agency.

The study findings contribute to practice through providing a better understanding of the issues associated with institutional diffusion mechanisms that aid the adoption of learning technologies. Considering the slow and often disappointing adoption of eLearning within higher education institutions (HEIs), the study reveals the nature of adoption that may inform the development of institutional eLearning diffusion structures.

The paper identifies that the importance of individual factors influencing the adoption of eLearning has been acknowledged by the above studies, and the underlying message has emerged that levels of eLearning adoption would be higher if strategic managers recognised the social dimensions of eLearning innovation and diffusion, such as: academic and professional goals, interests and needs; technology interests; patterns of work; sources of support; and social networks. The argument is that currently eLearning is geared towards technically “literate” and innovative staff, and this strategy reduces the likelihood of mainstream faculty actually adopting instructional technology for their own teaching.

A review of the eLearning literature shows that there only a few substantive theoretical accounts which adequately integrate multiple levels of analysis and explain adoption and diffusion of eLearning in terms of the interplay between structural influences and individual action. The paper argues for future research to be integrated in a general analytical framework.

This chapter provides the multifaceted ways of how the institution has been supporting teaching and learning (T&L) with the use of technology and how it is equipping the younger generation with the skills required to face a changing job market. The prevailing status of use of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4th IR) in T&L was evaluated through: (i) outcomes of a survey approved by the institution undertaken with academics and students for its external audit in 2018; (ii) the continuous support being provided by the Center for Lifelong Learning for fully online programs through the Moodle Platform; and (iii) use of Google Classroom, smartphones, and tablets in faculty-based teaching by the information and communication technologies (ICT) department. This study aimed to identify gaps with a view to enhance the quality of blended/online learning. Findings of the survey reveal that 59.2% of academics who responded were satisfied with the applications of ICT in their teaching, with 42% indicating that there is a need for improvement. Similarly, 55.1% of students who responded indicated that they were satisfied with the use of technology in the classroom. The case studies support the surveys and provide indications of ongoing advancement in the use of ICT following the external audit. The advent of the pandemic has further accelerated our plans in the digital transformation process, leaving us with no choice but to innovate with the use of ICT in the classroom.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the perceived performance, software usability, and attitude of academics to use online technology to perform their tasks in the academic context.

The paper assesses the acceptance and utilization of university lecturers for an online educational system using the technology-to-performance chain model. The evaluation process is conducted via an online survey which is administered to 180 university staff meanwhile objective measurements describing the actual utilization are considered during the analysis. Partial least squares path modeling is used in this study in tandem with other statistical methods to test the significance and influence of different constructs and factors related to the user.

The usability of information systems plays a crucial role compared to the attitude and social norms for lecturers to actually utilize technological products. Meanwhile, the TTF is observed to have more influence than the actual utilization for the perceived impact on performance. For the individual’s characteristics, the study indicates that the age is an influential factor on the utilization and performance in contrast to the gender which has a marginal impact.

The study describes a model to assess the acceptance of technology by academics based on combining self-reported data and objective quantitative measures which describe the actual utilization of the user. Further, the usability estimated using the well-known System Usability Scale is integrated within the developed model to reflect the ease of use for technology. Further, covariate analysis is conducted to explore how different types of users interact and react to educational systems for different factors including age, gender, academic qualifications and experience.

Covid-19 outbreak has compelled the world-wide education system to use the digital collaboration platform (DCP) for online learning, for robust inclusive sustainable education. The purpose of this paper is to understand the adoption intention and effectiveness of DCP using technology acceptance model (TAM) for online learning among students studying in higher education institutes (HEIs) in India.

A structured questionnaire has been adopted to survey and collect data from 324 students studying in HEI of Maharashtra state in India. The questionnaire consisted of 28 constructs. The constructs in this section were measured using a five-point Likert scale ranging. In the first step, first-order confirmatory factor analysis is carried out by using the software IBM AMOS-20. The initial model is generated for six constructs, and outcomes are used to analyze the model’s goodness of fit and construct validity. In second step, structural equation modelling is carried out to do the path analysis of the proposed model.

The findings connote that the interactivity, cost-effectiveness and the core TAM constructs as perceived usefulness form positive attitude towards usage of DCP and intention to adopt it in near future by the students of HEI of India. The research is an attempt to provide possible explanations for the epochal relationships between the constructs and discusses the usage of information, which can be further used to enhance the acceptance of DCP among students in urban as well as rural India.

The results and findings will provide a direction to the various stakeholders such as educators, management, learners and the parents on the adoption intention of digital collaborative platform from a learner’s point of view. This will lead to the knowledge which will help in practical implementations of these technologies.

The results and findings will provide a direction to the various stakeholders such as educators, management, learners and the parents on the adoption intention of DCP from learner’s point of view. This will lead to the knowledge which will help in practical implementations of these technologies. The findings imply that the interactivity, cost-effectiveness and the core constructs of TAM such as perceived usefulness form positive attitude towards usage of DCP and intention to adopt it in near future by the students of HEI of India. This research provides possible explanations for the significant relationships between the constructs and discusses how this information can be used to enhance the acceptance of DCP among students in urban as well as rural India.

This research provides possible explanations for the significant relationships between the constructs and discusses how this information can be used to enhance the acceptance of DCP among students in urban as well as rural India, which is the need of hour for sustainable education.

There are tremendous studies on online learning and use of digital platforms including the constructs of TAM but in the times of Covid-19, where it has become mandatory for all educational institutes to use the digital collaborative platform for continuance of education. The study is original and is an attempt to understand students’ perspective towards usage of DCP and its effectiveness in learning in the rural parts of Maharashtra from where the students hail to study in HEI in Pune and Mumbai.

Beyond a mandated use, rationales behind executive choice to accept or reject building information modelling (BIM) are ambiguous. BIM acceptance is complex for organisations, and existing decision-making models are impractical to make realistic choices. A practical solution must assist a holistic reflection of internal and external BIM success factors. Nevertheless, extant literature is largely focused on software use and awareness. Thus, this paper aims to suggest a novel framework for assessing firm readiness, aimed at facilitating BIM uptake.

Extant explanatory studies are inadequate in assessing the soft nature of BIM uptake. Thus, a design science research was employed as an alternative methodology. A means-end analysis was utilised for solution incubation, and cross-disciplinary reasoning, the strategy to establish valid solutions on firm readiness. Previous studies were reviewed on BIM, technology acceptance (generally) and complexity.

“Technology attitude” is presented as involving more holistic variables than a simplistic reliance on software use to mirror BIM acceptance. Technology acceptance model (TAM) is appropriate to explain BIM attitude attributes, but its current use is sub-optimal. Selective information processing and unconscious thought theory were integrated into TAM to explain attitude formation from multiple perspectives, resulting in a novel BIM attitude scale (BIMAS). Upon verification, the proposed framework will facilitate an objective authentication of biases that associate with BIM acceptance.

Whilst BIM readiness is assessed largely with a primary focus on theory building, practical relevance must be at the forefront of BIM development. This study articulates that design science research can enhance the practical relevance of BIM adoption models. BIM acceptance attitude must be assessed through a verified scale contrary to the assessment of self-biases of executives in literature. BIMAS suggests a testable solution for this. Theory building research must be the future focus to enhance the relevance of this initial solution.