Identifying and Addressing Cultural Barriers to Faculty Adoption and Use of a Learning Management System in a Ghanaian University

Abstract

This study adopted a participatory action research (PAR) approach to identify and address the various cultural factors that contribute in hindering faculty adoption and use of a Learning Management System (LMS) for online collaborative learning (OCL) at a private university in Ghana. This followed a realization that an LMS that the university deployed for OCL purposes, and had been available for over five years, remained largely unused by faculty members despite that they have been trained, motivated and appropriately resourced to do so. With a preliminary investigation revealing the possible role of cultural factors, this study drew on some aspects of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory to develop and conceptualize a research framework, and subsequently engaged 10 faculty members in a semester-long action study. Findings show that by collectively identifying the cultural underpinnings, and conscientiously working on them, faculty members can ultimately change their attitudes (as well as those of their other colleagues) significantly, and be better predisposed to using online collaborative tools and resources for OCL.