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THE ROLE OF
COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS IN BUSINESS STUDENTS’ACCEPTANCE OF E-LEARNING
TECHNOLOGY
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The advent
of the personal computer and the Internet has inevitably changed the way we
live. These technologies, as well as others, have altered the method in which
people work, communicate, shop, and even learn. Distance education, a form of
education traditionally associated with correspondence courses, has benefited
greatly from the new technological devices of the 21st century. Today,
communication tools such as e-mail, satellite connections, and video
conferencing software have provided educators with the tools to provide
synchronous as well as asynchronous communication with their students.
At the
postsecondary level, distance education has grown tremendously. Online courses,
which may or may not provide teacher-student interaction, are becoming the most
common form of distance education at the postsecondary level. According to a
study conducted by the Sloan Consortium, approximately 90% of all public
institutions offer online courses (Allen & Seaman, 2004). In many of these
online courses, instructors have simply placed their traditional course
information on a website, failing to consider the interaction needed to
facilitate learning. Lectures in the form of transcripts or PowerPoint
presentations are often used without considering the various learning styles of
different students. Research has shown that students who take online courses
are extremely concerned about teacher-student interaction. (Beard & Harper,
2002; Perreault, 2002). Students want to receive continuous feedback from their
instructors in an online setting. They also want their instructor to be
accessible when they have a problem or concern (Huang, 2002).
Because many
online instructors and students face the aforementioned problems, numerous
institutions are choosing the concept of web-based or hybrid courses to address
the various issues surrounding distance learning. In web-based courses, many of
the techniques such as placing assignments on a website and using chat rooms
are incorporated as a supplement to learning. In this type of course, class
attendance is still required. In hybrid courses, instruction is not totally
online. Periodically, students physically attend class. These alternatives
allow for face-to-face student-teacher interaction while taking advantage of
technology (Theriot, 2004).
To assist in
the delivery of web-based and online courses, many institutions and educators
have adopted electronic-learning (e-learning) systems. E-learning systems
provide educators with an easy method to manage course content and student interaction
on the web. These courseware packages can be utilized in a totally online
setting or as an enhancement to traditional classroom learning. While many
institutions have implemented e-learning software packages such as WebCT and
Blackboard, limited attention has been given to the perceptions of students
concerning these systems. Although research has shown that students are
receptive to the idea of online learning, few studies have been conducted
concerning whether students embrace the concept of using e-learning systems
within a classroom setting.
In addition
to the concern of student acceptance of e-learning systems, technological
access and computer use seem to be a major hurdle for educators to overcome
(Glenn, 2005). Many students who would like to take advantage of the many
benefits of e-learning are unable to do so or find it difficult because of
limited technological resources. In many instances, the underlying reason for
this problem involves the socioeconomic status of an individual, resulting in
the digital divide.
The digital
divide is the gap between those who have access to computers and the Internet
and those who do not (Vail, 2003). According to a University of California-Los
Angeles study, while 80.1% of freshman at predominantly White private
institutions use e-mail, only 48% of students at private historically Black
colleges and universities (HBCU) and 41.1% at public HBCU report using e-mail
(Roach, 2000). Moreover, a study by the United Negro College Fund found that
only one out of six students at HBCU had access to or owned a personal
computer, compared to one out of every two White students at White institutions
(Chappell, 2001). When comparing Internet use in 2003, 65.1% of White Americans
used the Internet in comparison to 45.6% of Black Americans and 37.2% of
Hispanics in the U.S. (NTIA, 2004).
Students who
have unlimited access to technology at school and/or at home tend to be more
knowledgeable and have more computer experience than those that do not (Zeliff,
2004). In an underprivileged environment, be it school or home, the hardware
and software needed to increase computer use is often nonexistent. If students
have limited access to computers, it may have an impact on their frequency of
computer use. In turn, the frequency of computer use may impact whether a
student accepts or uses a computerrelated technology such as an e-learning
system.
Statement of
the Problem
The use of
web-based learning to supplement post-secondary classroom instruction has
increased since the introduction of the PC and the Internet. Institutions have
adopted e-learning systems to assist in content delivery within these courses.
While many empirical studies have been conducted concerning faculty adoption of
these technologies in their classrooms, a limited number have addressed the
extent to which college students accept these tools. The majority of these
studies failed to consider computer access as a factor regarding computer
technology acceptance.
Purpose of
the Study
In addition
to the concern of student acceptance of e-learning systems, technological
access and computer use seem to be major hurdles for educators to overcome.
Many students who would like to take advantage of the benefits of e-learning
are unable to do so or find it difficult because of limited technological
resources. In many instances, the underlying reason for this problem involves
the socioeconomic status (SES) of an individual resulting in the digital divide
(Glenn, 2005). Considering that there is a disparity among those who do and do
not have access to computers, it warrants an investigation to determine whether
computer access has an impact on the acceptance of an e-learning technology.
The research questions used to guide this study were as follows:
1. To what extent is e-learning technology
acceptance explained by computer access after controlling for the effects of
race and socioeconomic status (SES)?
2. To what extent is e-learning technology
acceptance explained by Internet access after controlling for the effects of
race and SES?
Assumptions
and Delimitations
This study
was bounded and delimited by a number of assumptions or parameters. The study
targeted a subset of college students for whom the acceptance of technological
innovations appears to be important and useful. Business majors were chosen
because they tend to use computers extensively (Groneman, 2004). Only business students who were enrolled in
an introductory business course or a business communication course were
selected to participate. Through this restriction, students with different
majors and those who were not in the specified courses were eliminated. Other
findings may have resulted if different majors or courses had been chosen.
This study
was confined to only two institutions in North Carolina that are accredited by
the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an
international association. Non-accredited institutions may have different
academic goals or missions that do not include e-learning.
An
additional limitation was the data gathering method. The study was limited to
information gathered from self-reported data. In quantitative studies, a
questionnaire is often used in research to elicit perceptions and attitudes.
Survey research is a method that requires the researcher to derive descriptive,
behavioral, and preferential data so that the “differential complexities of the
population from which a sample has been drawn” can be obtained (Rea &
Parker, 1997, p. 4). Because of the data collection method, this study was also
limited to students of instructors who were willing to relinquish class time
for data gathering. Only students from the classes of those participating
instructors were included. Thus, the results of this study can only be
generalized to business students from the two participating universities.
Significance
of the Study
Using
e-learning to enhance education or as a form of alternate education is a
valuable teaching technique that is being utilized throughout the world. Its
popularity has resulted in e-learning initiatives at the local and the federal
government levels. This study focused on the different variables that affect
the acceptance of e-learning technology by college students. Its significance
lies in the ability to provide pertinent information concerning the issues that
contribute to a student’s acceptance and use of an e-learning tool.
Additionally, this study examines the issue of computer and Internet access and
determines whether these variables impact students’ acceptance of e-learning
technology. This key finding could give administrators and educators insight on
whether supplying students with additional access to computers and/or the
Internet will increase students’ willingness to engage in e-learning tools. If
so, the magnitude of computer/Internet access by students may be a factor to
consider when promoting e-learning courses.
Findings
from this study may cause business educators to make program changes and
modifications to their current curricula to address the issue of technology use
by students. The findings may also determine whether additional research is
needed to address the technological needs of students in efforts to close the
technological gap that potentially exists between students from various
socioeconomic backgrounds at the postsecondary level.
Definitions
of Terms
Terms
defined here are used throughout the text with the specific meaning stated
below.
Chat or
threaded discussion: form of online communication that allows students to post
and view classroom questions and responses.
Course
management software: web-based system that enables students and educators to
engage in e-learning.
E-learning:
term is used to help describe the various uses of technology for learning,
teaching, training, and wider knowledge management (Rowlands, 2003).
E-learning
system: web-based delivery applications that are used to assist in the
management and facilitation of teaching and learning in a course.
Hybrid
course or web enhanced course: face-to-face course that incorporates online
technology into the traditional classroom instruction (Theriot, 2004).
Organization
of the Study
This
dissertation is divided into five chapters. The first chapter includes an
introduction, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, assumptions and
limitations of the study, significance of the study, definitions used in the
study and the organization of the study. The review of literature and
theoretical framework are presented in the second chapter. Chapter 3 includes
the research methodology. In Chapter 4, the survey results are presented. The
final chapter presents a discussion of the findings, conclusions, and
recommendations for practice and further research.
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