TY - GEN

T1 - Use and acceptance of learning platforms within universities

AU - Simeonova, Boyka

AU - Bogolyubov, Pavel

AU - Blagov, Evgeniy

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - Virtual Learning Environments(VLEs) are learning platforms within uni‐versities aiming to enhance students’ learning. In order to determine the successof VLE adoption in universitiesitis essentialto identify the factors which influencethe students’ acceptance and use of VLE systems and potentially to develop atheoretical model which can predict the influence of these factors on the students' learning activities. We are adopting the Unified Theory of Acceptance andUse of Technology (UTAUT) model developed by Venkatesh et al. (2003)to identi‐fy and test the underlying factorsinfluencing VLE acceptance and use. UTAUT is arelatively new and untested model especially within cross‐culturalsettingsin thecontext of Higher Education (Straub, 2009). The adoption ofUTAUT to explore theuse and acceptance oftechnology – and particularly VLEs – in educationalsettingsis somehow limited. We posit that this model is appropriate for this context andwe position our research to fill these gaps. We are testing the model in threebusiness schools in universities in two different countries. We are aiming to testthe model within UK and Russian educational settings using factor analysis bydeploying Venkatesh et al.’s (2003) questionnaire among students. If UTAUT hasbeen used in varioussettings, its adoption appearsto lack rigourin explaining thesignificance of the identified factors which can shape acceptance and use. Theresults would help enhancing and hopefully strengthening the theory by testingthe factors’ loadings and their impact on VLE acceptance and use within educa‐tional settings to enhance knowledge creation, sharing, mapping and collabora‐tion. The results demonstrate the validity oftheUTAUTmodel in different culturalsettings as well as the deeper cultural differences in the perceptions of use andacceptance of VLEs which highlightthe crucialrole of culture on technology adop‐tion

AB - Virtual Learning Environments(VLEs) are learning platforms within uni‐versities aiming to enhance students’ learning. In order to determine the successof VLE adoption in universitiesitis essentialto identify the factors which influencethe students’ acceptance and use of VLE systems and potentially to develop atheoretical model which can predict the influence of these factors on the students' learning activities. We are adopting the Unified Theory of Acceptance andUse of Technology (UTAUT) model developed by Venkatesh et al. (2003)to identi‐fy and test the underlying factorsinfluencing VLE acceptance and use. UTAUT is arelatively new and untested model especially within cross‐culturalsettingsin thecontext of Higher Education (Straub, 2009). The adoption ofUTAUT to explore theuse and acceptance oftechnology – and particularly VLEs – in educationalsettingsis somehow limited. We posit that this model is appropriate for this context andwe position our research to fill these gaps. We are testing the model in threebusiness schools in universities in two different countries. We are aiming to testthe model within UK and Russian educational settings using factor analysis bydeploying Venkatesh et al.’s (2003) questionnaire among students. If UTAUT hasbeen used in varioussettings, its adoption appearsto lack rigourin explaining thesignificance of the identified factors which can shape acceptance and use. Theresults would help enhancing and hopefully strengthening the theory by testingthe factors’ loadings and their impact on VLE acceptance and use within educa‐tional settings to enhance knowledge creation, sharing, mapping and collabora‐tion. The results demonstrate the validity oftheUTAUTmodel in different culturalsettings as well as the deeper cultural differences in the perceptions of use andacceptance of VLEs which highlightthe crucialrole of culture on technology adop‐tion

KW - UTAUT

KW - technology acceptance

KW - virtual learning environments

KW - higher education

M3 - Conference contribution/Paper

SN - 978-1-909507-38-8

SP - 642

EP - 651

BT - Proceedings of The 14th European Conference on Knowledge Management held at the Kaunas University of Technology Kaunas, Lithuania 5-6 September 2013

A2 - Janiūnaitė, Brigita

A2 - Pundziene, Asta

A2 - Petraite, Monika

T2 - 14th European Conference on Knowledge Management

Y2 - 5 September 2013 through 6 September 2013

ER -