The Adoption and Diffusion of eLearning in UK Universities: A Comparative Case Study Using Giddens's Theory of Structuration

Autor/inn/en	Hardaker, Glenn; Singh, Gurmak
Titel	The Adoption and Diffusion of eLearning in UK Universities: A Comparative Case Study Using Giddens's Theory of Structuration
Quelle	In: Campus-Wide Information Systems, 28 (2011) 4, S. 221-233 PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1065-0741
DOI	10.1108/10650741111162707
Schlagwörter	Forschungsbericht; Foreign Countries; Electronic Learning; Technical Support; Innovation; Interviews; Educational Technology; Adoption (Ideas); Barriers; College Environment; Technology Integration; Influence of Technology; Comparative Analysis; Case Studies; Organizational Change; Organizational Culture; Organizational Development; Organizational Theories; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Unterrichtsmedien; Ideas; Ideenfindung; Hochschulumwelt; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Organisationswandel; Unternehmenskultur; Organisationsentwicklung; Organisationstheorie; Großbritannien
Abstract	Purpose: This exploratory study seeks to identify the factors that influence the adoption and diffusion of instructional technology at five prominent universities in the UK. The study aims to examine the organisational factors that enable and inhibit organisational adoption and diffusion of innovation. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative exploratory case approach has been adopted to address the research question. In total, 36 semi-structured interviews were conducted at five universities in the UK. The five diverse approaches to adoption and diffusion of instructional technology were examined; top-down, integrated top-down, bottom-up, research-driven and project-driven approach. Findings: For this research eLearning is conceptualised as innovation situated in the interplay between structure and individual and how this leads to adoption and diffusion. The paper argues that senior management need to acknowledge the need to bridge the gap between "local context" and top-down strategic change. The findings suggest that there are tensions between "signification of meaning", "power and dominance" and cultural norms in adoption and diffusion of eLearning. Research limitations/implications: The implications of the research are significant in understanding the diversity of approaches to the adoption and diffusion of elearning. This provides insight for other universities in successfully managing the application of e-learning. Originality/value: Giddens's structuration theory provided a sensitising framework for understanding the dialectical nature of adoption of eLearning within five universities in the UK. The tensions between institutional structures, such as strategies, training, access to technology, technical support and time resources, and levels of adoption can be captured by dialectic of control in Giddens's Theory of Structuration. (As Provided).
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Begutachtung	Peer reviewed
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10