TABLE OF
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Statement
of the Problem
Purpose of
the Study
Assumptions
and Delimitations
Significance
of the Study
Definitions
of Terms
Organization
of the Study
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW LITERATURE
Distance Education
Technology Acceptance Model
The Digital Divide
Summary
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
Design of Study
Population
Analysis of Data
Summary
CHAPTER 4
FINDINGS
Respondents
Characteristics of the Sample
CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of the Study
References
CHAPTER 1
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.
Click “DOWNLOAD NOW” below to get the complete project material
FOR QUICK HELP CHAT WITH US NOW!
+(234) 0814 780 1594
Buyers has the right to create
dispute within seven (7) days of purchase for 100% refund request when
you experience issue with the file received.
Dispute can only be created when
you receive a corrupt file, a wrong file or irregularities in the table of
contents and content of the file you received.
ProjectShelve.com shall either
provide the appropriate file within 48hrs or
send refund excluding your bank transaction charges. Term and
Conditions are applied.
Buyers are expected to confirm
that the material you are paying for is available on our website
ProjectShelve.com and you have selected the right material, you have also gone
through the preliminary pages and it interests you before payment. DO NOT MAKE
BANK PAYMENT IF YOUR TOPIC IS NOT ON THE WEBSITE.
In case of payment for a
material not available on ProjectShelve.com, the management of
ProjectShelve.com has the right to keep your money until you send a topic that
is available on our website within 48 hours.
You cannot change topic after
receiving material of the topic you ordered and paid for.
Login To Comment