Antecedents of Blackboard Adoption by Lecturers at a South African Higher Education Institution – Extending GETAMEL

Manoj Panicker,Obert Matarirano,Hlanganani Siqondile Sibanda,Nobert Rangarirai Jere

doi:10.3991/ijet.v16i01.16821

Abstract

Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become central to the teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). The aim of this paper was to test the constructs of the General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for e-Learning (GETAMEL) and some selected constructs from the other Technology Acceptance Models (TAM) on adoption and use of Black-board LMS by lecturers at a selected university in South Africa. A cross sec-tional electronic survey was carried out to obtain data from 101 lecturers, who were conveniently sampled to express their perceptions on BLMS. Structural equation modelling, utilising SmartPLS3, was used to analyse the collected data. The results confirmed that behavioural intention (BI) influ-enced actual use whilst BI in turn was influenced by perceived usefulness (PU) and subjective norm (SN). Attitude was influenced by PU but had no significant effect on BI. The external factors that influenced perceived ease of use (PEOU) included perceived enjoyment (ENJOY), system self-efficacy (SE), and system anxiety (ANX) whilst PU was influenced by job relevance (JR) and PEOU. University management at the HEI under study should con-sider the determinants of SE, ENJOY and ANX if they need effective utilisation of Blackboard by the lecturers. The study findings imply that a LMS that is adopted and used is one that is considered useful, otherwise users will be reluctant to use it. The findings can assist HEIs in preparing their lecturers before implementation of any e-learning systems, such as training and technical support, thus, enhancing LMS adoption and utilisation. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on antecedents of LMS adoption and use. In addition, it establishes the applicability of GETAMEL in a South African university context.

Highlights

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an integral part of human activity in social, economic, industrial enterprises and education
Behavioural intention was positively influenced by perceived usefulness and subjective norm and in turn, positively influenced use behaviour
The study determined the antecedents for Learning Management System (LMS) adoption and use

Summary

Introduction

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an integral part of human activity in social, economic, industrial enterprises and education. ICT significantly affects learning experiences of university students [1]. With the majority of university students being ‘digital natives’, the use of technology has become one of the key solutions to learning and teaching challenges [2], [3]. One key ICT frequently used in education is a Learning Management System (LMS). Implementation of LMS to enhance flexibility in teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) has become part of the strategic plan [5] and as such, considerable investments in such systems has been made. Researchers have supported the use of LMS and reported some benefits as well as challenges associated with its utilisation [6]–[8]

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