Empirical study on e-learning adoption at institutions of higher learning in South Africa

Abstract

Although the familiarity of technology in general among academics may not be a problem, research has shown that many course instructors are still lagging behind on the uptake of the new technologies, e.g. eLearning platforms for curriculum delivery. This paper aims at investigating the factors that are affecting the uptake of eLearning platforms by course instructors at tertiary level. The paper answers the question: "Why aren't eLearning platforms used more by instructors for curriculum delivery at tertiary level?" A qualitative research approach was employed whereby conversations with purposively selected academics were the data collection technique. Analysis shows that the uptake of the eLearning platforms by course instructors is affected by their level of confidence to use the technologies for teaching and learning. The confidence here is a combination of computer self-efficacy and teacher efficacy. The study can contribute to a better understanding of determining constructs of lecturers' uptake of new technologies.