Adoption of the internet as a teaching and learning tool : patterns of use, motivators and barriers among outstanding faculty in community colleges

Among institutions of higher education, community colleges are considered to be extremely responsive to change and to the needs of their constituencies. Community colleges are confronted with a new innovation, the Internet, which is transforming the way in which faculty and students interact, teach and learn. Examination of the learning revolution, the demands of a new generation of students, the role of a new information economy and competition in the educational marketplace suggested that it is necessary for faculty and administrators to reexamine their institutional and pedagogical roles. To appropriately adapt the Internet as part of the teaching and learning process, they must understand the factors that influence and hinder its adoption. This study, using Rogers' theory of diffusion of innovation, attempted to identify and describe patterns of use, motivators, and obstacles confronting outstanding faculty in community colleges. The methodology used in this study was a combination of a status descriptive and explanatory descriptive survey. The survey collected quantitative and qualitative data; it was adapted from four scales of the "Teaching and Learning with Technology" items utilized by Dr. Michele Jacobsen from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Participants for this study included 622 individuals from community colleges across the nation who attended the 2000 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Conference in Austin, TX. Data was analyzed by calculating the mean and standard deviation of items in three scales to illustrate the order in which respondents agreed and disagreed with survey items. In addition, Pearson chi-square values were computed in all items to examine the linear-by-linear association of items and seven independent variables: a) gender, b) age group, c) regions of the US in which respondents live, d) award status, e) faculty rank, f) adopter categories and g) survey delivery method. Survey findings, differences and similarities among variables, and recommendations for future analysis are discussed within this study.