The Role of Peer Influence and Perceived Quality of Teaching in Faculty Acceptance of Web-Based Learning Management Systems

摘要

This study's primary investigation is the impact of peer influence and perceived quality of teaching on faculty members' usage of web-based learning management systems within the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework. These factors are entered into an extended TAM as external variables impacting on the core constructs in the prevailing TAM literature: perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, intention to use and system use. The investigation is conducted within the context of higher education faculty members' utilization of web-based learning management systems, such as Blackboard~®. A sample of 171 faculty members from three higher education institutions in Midwestern United States is utilized for the purpose of this study. Using exploratory path analysis, twelve hypotheses were tested for the learning management system. The results of the analyses reveal that perceived quality of teaching plays a significant role in the faculty members' consideration to use learning management systems. In turn, peer influence does not appear to predict faculty perceptions of the system's usefulness for teaching. The results of additional hypotheses testing are presented. Alternative explanations and implications of the results are discussed.