In the proposed study, this researcher will identify the association between the facilitating conditions and organizational innovativeness in regards to use of connective tools in the development of online courses (Fathema, Shannon, & Ross, 2015; Sharif & Cho, 2015). First, the researcher will gather information reported by e-learning professionals and their perceptions of the facilitating conditions that propel the use of connective tools. Next, the researcher will survey the e-learning professionals to understand their perceptions of institutional innovativeness. Finally, the researcher will analyze the data collected from the survey to determine the relationship among the variables of facilitating conditions and organizational innovativeness.
Facilitating Conditions
Suboptimal tool implementation and higher education institutions’ inability to provide adequate support are factors of facilitating conditions in use of e-learning tools (Fathema, Shannon, & Ross, 2015; Sugar & Luterbach, 2016; Watson et al., 2016). These two items are measured by the facilitating conditions portion of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) theory (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis, 2003). UTAUT has four foundational elements: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions (Oye, Iahad, & Rahim, 2014; Williams, Rana, & Dwivedi, 2015). Facilitating conditions include training, institutional support, adequate resources, and funding, and can affect e-learning course development (Nur, Faslih, & Nur, 2017; Oye, Iahad, & Rahim, 2014; Zaharias & Pappas, 2016). Facilitating conditions should be provided by the higher education institutions to encourage connective tool use in e-learning courses.
E-Learning Professionals, Facilitating Conditions, and Institutional Innovativeness
As the facilitating conditions are those not within the e-learning professionals’ purview, it is up to the learning organization to support the design model and tool choices made by e-learning professionals (Zaharias & Pappas, 2016). This support is imperative to engage students in a collaborative and connective way (Sugar & Luterbach, 2016, Watson et al, 2016). This researcher will illustrate how institutional innovativeness relates to facilitating conditions, which in turn affects the design model and connective tools the e-learning professional implements in online courses (Camisón & Villar-Lópe, 2014; Lu, Chang, Yan & Lin, 2016; Oye, Iahad & Rahim, 2014). The perceived level of institutional innovativeness is measured with McCrosky’s perceived organizational innovativeness scale (PORGI) (McCroskey, et al., 2014; DeMarzo, 2018).
Research Questions
RQ1- Are there differences in e-learning professional’s perceptions of facilitating conditions (measured using the UTAUT questionnaire) by e-learning professionals’ job level, education level, years of experience, and type of institution?
RQ2- Are there differences in e-learning professional’s perceptions of institutional innovativeness (measured using the Perceived Organizational Innovativeness Scale) by e-learning professionals’ job level, education level, years of experience, and type of institutions?
RQ3- What is the relationship between perception of institutional innovativeness (measured using the Perceived Organizational Innovativeness Scale) and facilitating conditions (measured using the UTAUT questionnaire)?
References
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Conference Track: Research Session Type: Graduate Student Discovery Session