A Model of User Acceptance of E-learning Technologies: a Case Study of a Polytechnic in New Zealand

Digital technologies are revolutionizing the practices of teaching and learning at colleges and universities all around the world. With the emergence of internet and web technologies, tertiary institutions are increasingly exploring the potential uses of e-learning technologies to cater for the ever growing demands of flexible teaching needs in distance education. Teaching institutions are making significant efforts in e-learning development and investing significantly in associated information technology infrastructure with the expectation of high return of their investment. However, in spite of this effort and investment the teachers and faculty do not always use the technology as expected and often elearning systems continue to be underutilized. This paper introduces a model which integrates the findings from previous research into the factors which affect the attitude of academic staff towards the adoption of e-learning technologies. Factors were classified into three key categories: individual, system and organizational, which were then divided into sub-categories. The model presents a detailed analysis for factors relating to: (a) individual characteristics; (b) individual perceptions; (c) e-learning system characteristics; (d) external system characteristics; (e) organisational support and (f) organisational characteristics. The model has been validated by a case study which investigated the factors that influence or inhibit the adoption of e-learning technologies in a polytechnic in New Zealand. A group of teaching staff at a polytechnic were interviewed to ascertain their views on adopting e-learning technologies in their teaching process. The results show that whilst individual and system factors have a strong influence on users’ attitudes to system adoption, the organisational factors are most crucial for user acceptance in e-learning technologies. The users ranked that lack of institution strategy, lack of time and lack of training support as the three most critical barriers for user adoption of e-learning technologies.