Structure and content of messages in an online environment: An approach from participation

This study examines the participation of 24 university professors in the training process that uses on-line environment, which has a duration of 36 h in classroom and 30 h online. The main aim of the course is to provide theoretical and methodological elements that allow teachers to investigate and innovate in their educational practice. With this purpose, the messages were analysed regarding their nature, information level, depth level, and the relation between each of the indicators. The data corpus corresponds to ten discussion forums which were part of a training program in research and innovation in university teaching. The methodology used for the analysis considered the combination of quantitative indicators of participation with an analysis of message content. The results show that the messages are organized mainly around the content or learning task, which in turn tend to concentrate on levels with less complexity and depth. The data also indicate that there is a relation between message length, information level, and depth level achieved by the contributions of the participants when they collaborate in an online environment.     

From participation to dropout: Quantitative participation patterns in online university courses

The academic e-learning practice has to deal with various participation patterns and types of online learners with different support needs. The online instructors are challenged to recognize these and react accordingly. Among the participation patterns, special attention is requested by dropouts, which can perturbate online collaboration. Therefore we are in search of a method of early identification of participation patterns and prediction of dropouts. To do this, we use a quantitative view of participation that takes into account only observable variables. On this background we identify in a field study the participation indicators that are relevant for the course completion, i.e. produce significant differences between the completion and dropout sub-groups. Further we identify through cluster analysis four participation patterns with different support needs. One of them is the dropout cluster that could be predicted with an accuracy of nearly 80%. As a practical consequence, this study recommends a simple, easy-to-implement prediction method for dropouts, which can improve online teaching. As a theoretical consequence, we underline the role of the course didactics for the definition of participation, and call for refining previous attrition models.     

Behavioral intention,use behavior and the acceptance of electronic learning systems: Differences between higher education and lifelong learning

Widespread implementation of e-learning systems – learning management systems, virtual learning environments – across higher education institutions has aroused great interest on the study of e-learning acceptance. Acceptance studies focus on the predictors of system adoption and use, with behavioral intention to use the system as a proxy for actual use. This study proposes a TAM3-based model – with the inclusion of two additional variables: personal innovativeness in the domain of information technology and perceived interaction – to study the factors influencing the acceptance of e-learning systems. Attention is also brought towards the role of behavioral intention, especially in its relation with use behavior. In order to do so, two different settings were considered: higher education and lifelong learning; data was gathered from a survey administrated to Spanish graduate and lifelong learning students, and partial least squares analysis was used to test the research model. Results supported TAM relations, except for the intention-behavior linkage, and unveiled a dual nature of perceived usefulness – with one component related to efficiency and performance, and another component related to flexibility. The adequacy of applying TAM3-based models in educational contexts and suitability of actual system usage measures are also discussed.     

Influence of participation, facilitator styles, and metacognitive reflection on knowledge building in online university courses

Understanding how to foster knowledge building in online and blended learning environments is a key for computer-supported collaborative learning research. Knowledge building is a deeply constructivist pedagogy and kind of inquiry learning focused on theory building. A strong indicator of engagement in knowledge building activity is the socio-cognitive dynamic of epistemic agency, in which students exercise a higher level of agency for setting forth their ideas and negotiating fit with those of others rather than relying on their teacher. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of (a) levels of participation, (b) facilitator styles and (c) metacognitive reflection on knowledge building in two blended, post-secondary education contexts. A study of a total of 67 undergraduate students suggest that high levels of participation, a supportive facilitator style, and ample opportunities for metacognitive reflection on the students’ own participation strategies are most conducive for fostering epistemic agency for knowledge building. Implications of these results for research and instructional design of online courses are discussed.     

Gender differences in adoption of information systems: New findings from China

The paper explores regional gender differences in information systems adoption based on a sample of 496 Chinese individuals from four universities and one firm, by a lens of theory of planned behavior. It enriches the literature by explaining and examining the moderating effects of gender on the relationships between antecedents and behavioral intention of using information systems for Chinese users. Contrary to prior findings in the US-based research, Chinese women were found to be more strongly influenced by their computer attitudes whereas Chinese men were found to be more strongly affected by their subject norms. Perceived behavior control was important for both sexes without significant difference. The results were robust across prior experience, ages, educational levels, as well as academic disciplines and job occupations. Meanwhile, the paper uncovers under what conditions perceived behavior control and subject norms will be salient determinants of Chinese user acceptance of information systems. Practical implications about gender sensitivity in information systems adoption are discussed.     

Gender differences and similarities in online courses: challenging stereotypical views of women

Abstract This paper considers gender differences in online contexts and examines current trends in women's performance, access and experience of online courses. It uses supportive case study examples and specific research into students' academic engagement, conceptions and perceptions of learning support in online environments. The analysis shows that women studying online are confident independent learners who may outperform their male counterparts. They do not have reduced computer and Internet access compared with men, nor are they disinclined to enrol on online courses. They attach greater value to the pastoral aspect of tutoring and have different interaction styles from men, which may have implications for online tutoring support. The gender debate needs to move on from access and performance to the differences and similarities in the degree of importance that men and women place on different interaction and tutoring styles online.     

Understanding customers' loyalty intentions towards online shopping: an integration of technology acceptance model and fairness theory

As with any other information system (IS), the success of online shopping depends largely on customer satisfaction and other factors that will eventually increase customers' loyalty intentions. This article integrates two major variables of technology acceptance model (TAM), trust, and fairness to construct a model for investigating the motivations behind customers' loyalty intentions towards online shopping. The hypothesised model is validated empirically using data collected from 311 customers of an online shopping store. The results indicated that distributive, procedural and interactional fairness were strong predictors of trust, which in turn influenced satisfaction. Distributive fairness and interactional fairness exhibited significant positive effects on satisfaction. Perceived usefulness and satisfaction influenced loyalty intention towards online shopping. Perceived ease of use acts indirectly on loyalty intention through the mediating effect of perceived usefulness. Implications for theory and practice and future research directions are discussed.     

医院信息系统持续使用意愿研究——基于技术接受模型和期望确认理论

基于技术接受模型与期望确认理论,从患者视角对医院信息系统持续使用意愿进行了实证研究。结果显示感知易用性、感知可用性和系统满意度对系统持续使用意愿均有显著影响。其中感知易用性是最关键的影响因素,期待满足度也通过对感知可用性和系统满意度的作用来对系统持续使用意愿产生影响。基于研究结果,提出了进一步推进医院信息化与信息管理水平的若干建议。     

Predicting consumer intentions to shop online: An empirical test of competing theories

The proliferation of commercial Web sites providing consumers with a new medium to purchase products and services has increased the importance of understanding the determinants of consumer intentions to shop online. This study compared the technology acceptance model and two variations of the theory of planned behavior to examine which model best helps to predict consumer intentions to shop online. Data were gathered from 297 Taiwanese customers of online bookstores, and structural equation modeling was used to compare the three models in terms of overall model fit, explanatory power and path significance. Decomposing the belief structures in the theory of planned behavior moderately increased explanatory power for behavioral intention. The results also indicate that the decomposed theory of planned behavior provides an improved method of predicting consumer intentions to shop online. Finally, the implications of this study are discussed.     

Exploring the effects of direct experience on IT use: An organizational field study

Empirical studies have investigated the effect of attitude and behavior on IT acceptance in organizations but yielded ambiguous results. Possibly they have not effectively accounted for the moderating effects of experience gained through direct interaction with the target technology. We examined the moderating effect of the length of direct experience on IT acceptance relationships and constructs. Using multi-group invariance analysis, we demonstrated that relationships between key IT acceptance constructs differed, depending on the user's experience. The incorporation of direct experience can lead to convergent results and contribute to further understanding of the process. We discuss some implications from the knowledge that IT use is a dynamic process and suggest that IT management must account for direct experience in their decision making.     

A study of social participation and knowledge sharing in the teachers' online professional community of practice

To facilitate professional development of teachers in the online context, the online community of practice (CoPs) has become an important platform in which individuals with similar interests or common goals get together to share their resources, develop working strategies, solve problems, and improve individual as well as organizational performance. In this study, we have collected self-reported knowledge-sharing behaviors from 321 members of the largest online professional CoP of teachers in Taiwan. The results show that closer connections among online CoP members can lead to greater recognition of and altruism towards others. Moreover, performance expectation and self-efficacy belief play essential roles in knowledge-sharing participation. Thus, the development of social relationships among online teacher members helps them obtain potential resources and reliable support through their social network. Also, teachers' membership in the online professional CoP fosters a prosocial attitude that heightens their willingness to share useful resources and solve other members' problems, both emotionally and instrumentally. Consequently, knowledge-sharing behaviors, in terms of knowledge giving and knowing receiving, are significantly predicted by prosocial commitment and performance expectation respectively. The implications to both research and practice are provided in this paper.     

The role of perceived resources in online learning adoption

This study examines perceptions of adequate resources that can facilitate or inhibit students’ adoption of an online learning system, through an extension of the technology acceptance model (TAM) to include the perspectives of intra- and extra-organizational resources. The novel contribution of this study is the inclusion of internal and external-organizational factors in the aspect of perceived resources. The results of the study confirm the original TAM findings that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are positively associated with behavioral intention. In addition, the results also partially support that perceived resources have impacts on online learning adoption: Perceived ease of use, internal computing support, internal computing training, and external computing support have positive effects on perceived usefulness. Furthermore, internal computing support, internal computing training, external computing support, external computing training, and external equipment accessibility have positive effects on perceived ease of use. Recommendations for promoting adoption of the online learning system are subsequently discussed, along with suggestions for improving overall system design.     

Effects of interface style on user perceptions and behavioral intention to use computer systems

This study examines the influence of two interface styles (menu- and command-based) on the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and behavioral intention of the user to use the system. We have treated the system interface style as an external factor in the technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine its direct and indirect effects on behavioral intention to accept and use a system. The results showed that the interface style had direct effects on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness which, in turn, demonstrated significant effects on behavioral intention to use the system. Further, the results showed that perceptions of the menu-based interface were more favorable than perceptions of the command-based interface. These results provide several theoretical and practical implications for designing an effective system.     

The final year project supervision in online distance learning: assessing students and faculty perceptions about communication tools

Communication in Online Distance Learning courses revolves around two distinct forms: synchronous and asynchronous. A lot of work has been already developed focused on better understanding the roles that each of these forms of communication plays in Distance Learning and to which extent they are sufficient to provide rich and in-depth interaction experience for students and professors. The present paper focuses on better understanding the perceptions of Online Distance Learning students and supervisors about communication tools available for them during the Final Year Project supervision (FYP). A total of 262 students and 62 professors were surveyed about their impressions related to three different aspects of communication during FYP distance supervision: preferences for one form of communication over the other (synchronous versus asynchronous), appropriateness of both forms of communication to different types of discussions, and the sufficiency of these forms of communication as the sole forms of communication in the FYP discipline. Among other things, results point out an explicit preference from students and supervisors for using the asynchronous form throughout the discipline (even though the synchronous form also received good ratings). Moreover, both forms of communication were more used by students and supervisors for the discussion of academic and important topics. At last, both students and supervisors consider distance supervision as efficient as face-to-face supervision, and less experienced students consider more important to have face-to-face meetings with their supervisors than more experienced students.     

Face-to-face contact at the midpoint of an online collaboration: Its impact on the patterns of participation, interaction, affect, and behavior over time

This paper describes some of the consequences of introducing a face-to-face contact during an online collaborative learning session. Previous research on the development of online groups has suggested a critical transition period at the midpoint of a collaborative task in which group members redefine their behavior. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether face-to-face contact between participants during this period influences the patterns of participation, interaction, affect and behavior over time. Results show that a face-to-face contact introduced at the midpoint of a collaborative task has a positive influence on participation. However, a time sequence analysis of interactions revealed a further transition which appears between the face-to-face contact and the deadline. This transition is characterized by a decline of participation and task-focused interactions. At the same time, the analyses revealed an increase of interactions oriented towards emotional regulation and coordination, as well as a greater need of face-to-face contact, desire to drop out, and use of synchronous communications. These findings are based on an in-depth and longitudinal examination of a small sample, which limits their generalizability, but they may have a number of implications for the design of blended learning programs and the facilitation of collaborative tasks in distributed learning environments.     

A study of the relationships among learning styles, participation types, and performance in programming language learning supported by online forums

This study is focused on the relationships among learning styles, participation types, and learning performance for programming language learning supported by an online forum. Kolb’s learning style inventory was used in this study to determine a learner’s learning type: ‘Diverger’, ‘Assimilator’, ‘Converger’, and ‘Accommodator’. Social Learning Theory was also used to define four participation types. These types in turn were used to describe the learning associated with the use of online forums: ‘Replier’, ‘Asker’, ‘Watcher’, and ‘No activity’.A total of 144 students participated in this experiment as part of a half semester ASP.NET programming language learning courses. The course contained an online forum for supporting the students’ social activities and participation. In this study, ‘learning score’ and ‘satisfaction’ were used to measure learning performance.The results of this study were the following: (1) different learning styles were associated with significantly different learning scores and that the ‘Accommodator’ style was associated with superior learning scores; (2) participation types were also associated with significantly different learning scores and that the ‘Replier’ type is associated with superior learning scores; (3) learning satisfaction is not significantly different among the different learning styles or different participation types, but the average is significantly higher than average values (3.5) of 7-point Likert scale; (4) there is no significant association between learning styles and participation types. Explanations and discussions of these results are offered.Based on the results of this study, we propose that programming language learning, supported with online forums and students’ active participation, increases learning performance as measured by student learning scores.     

The relative effects of positive interdependence and group processing on student achievement and attitude in online cooperative learning

This study investigated the effects of positive interdependence and group processing on student achievement and attitude in online learning. Students in three university courses received initial instruction about teamwork skills and cooperative learning and were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups in each course. The “positive interdependence” and the “group processing” groups received subsequent associated skills training. The “no structure” control group received no additional training. Following the treatment, the “positive interdependence” groups had significantly higher achievement than the “group processing” or the “no structure” groups. There was no significant difference among any of the three groups on student attitude.     

Exploring Koreans’ smartphone usage: An integrated model of the technology acceptance model and uses and gratifications theory

This study investigates factors that influence adoption and use of smartphones among Koreans and seeks to integrate two theoretical approaches: the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the uses and gratifications (U&G) approach. To that end, the study used data from a self-reported survey of 491 Korean adults who use Apple’s iPhone. A structural equation model employed in the current study demonstrates that Koreans’ smartphone use is affected more by motivations based on instrumental and goal-oriented use than by ritualized and less-goal oriented use. The findings suggest that to spread information system with innovative and active features, developers should pay attention to users’ intrinsic motivations as well as to their extrinsic perceptions.     

Information technology (IT) in Saudi Arabia: Culture and the acceptance and use of IT

The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), a model of the user acceptance of IT, synthesizes elements from several prevailing user acceptance models. It has been credited with explaining a larger proportion of the variance of ‘intention to use’ and ‘usage behavior’ than do preceding models. However, it has not been validated in non-Western cultures. Using a survey sample collected from 722 knowledge workers using desktop computer applications on a voluntary basis in Saudi Arabia, we examined the relative power of a modified version of UTAUT in determining ‘intention to use’ and ‘usage behavior’. We found that the model explained 39.1% of intention to use variance, and 42.1% of usage variance. In addition, drawing on the theory of cultural dimensions, we hypothesized and tested the similarities and differences between the North American and Saudi validations of UTAUT in terms of cultural differences that affected the organizational acceptance of IT in the two societies.     

Development of an adoption model to assess user acceptance of e-service technology: E-Service Technology Acceptance Model

With remarkable growth of ICT development and the Internet popularity, the widespread use of the electronic service is becoming inevitable. Furthermore, as the user adoption plays an important role for successful and effective implementation of any project, thus, there is a need to assess user acceptance of the e-service technology. This research developed the E-Service Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM) to assess the user acceptance of e-service technology. According to the literature review in the field of e-service technology and acceptance theories, this study identified the main factors influencing the acceptance of e-services, namely satisfaction, security and quality and then, dimensions of these factors were extracted from the previous studies. In order to categorise the dimensions, an exploratory survey was developed and conducted among the university students and then, the exploratory factor analysis was applied. Afterwards, a confirmatory survey was designed and conducted among the 427 Malaysians and tested in terms of validity (content and construct) and reliability and then used to evaluate the ETAM. Finally, the structural equation modelling was applied to validate the casual relations and to assess the goodness-of-fit. The results of this study revealed that quality, security and satisfaction significantly influenced the intention to use an e-service and consequently the acceptance of e-service technology. The ETAM can help evaluate and predict how users will respond to an e-service before starting the development of any e-service project. Additionally, ETAM can be used as a foundation for e-service providers to develop strategies to encourage people to use e-services and increase the usage and acceptance rate of e-services.