ORIGINAL RESEARCH Barriers to Using the Blackboard System in Teaching and Learning: Faculty Perceptions Talal Mohammad Al Meajel 1 • Talha Abdullah Sharadgah 2 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2017 Abstract In this digital age, the success of faculty members in adopting technology definitely affects the success of their students and ultimately the educational institution. However, there are many who have not incorporated technology tools such as Blackboard into their courses. Therefore, this paper investigated faculty perceptions of barriers to using the Blackboard system in teaching and learning. This study was conducted at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia during the 2015/2016 academic year. An online questionnaire was circulated to 117 faculty members in order to determine how they perceive barriers to using Blackboard. Findings of the study showed that academic rank, experience, gender, and training had statistically significant effects on faculty perceptions regarding barriers to using Blackboard in teaching and learning. However, there were no statistically significant differences on faculty perceptions regarding barriers to the utilization of Blackboard triggered by the use or non-use of Blackboard. The current study also showed that ‘technological barriers’ and ‘institutional barriers’ were the most highly identified barriers among the four categories of barriers explored in this study. The student barriers category came as a third important factor, while the faculty barriers category ranked at the lower end. Keywords Blackboard Á Barriers Á Faculty perceptions Á Use or non-use of Blackboard Á Teaching and learning & Talal Mohammad Al Meajel [email protected]; [email protected]Talha Abdullah Sharadgah [email protected]; [email protected]1 Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, King Saud University, P.O. Box: 2458, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia 2 AlKharj Community College, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box: 1866, AlKharj 11942, Saudi Arabia 123 Tech Know Learn DOI 10.1007/s10758-017-9323-2
16
Embed
Barriers to Using the Blackboard System in Teaching and ...
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Barriers to Using the Blackboard System in Teachingand Learning: Faculty Perceptions
Talal Mohammad Al Meajel1 • Talha Abdullah Sharadgah2
� Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2017
Abstract In this digital age, the success of faculty members in adopting technology
definitely affects the success of their students and ultimately the educational institution.
However, there are many who have not incorporated technology tools such as Blackboard
into their courses. Therefore, this paper investigated faculty perceptions of barriers to using
the Blackboard system in teaching and learning. This study was conducted at King Saud
University in Saudi Arabia during the 2015/2016 academic year. An online questionnaire
was circulated to 117 faculty members in order to determine how they perceive barriers to
using Blackboard. Findings of the study showed that academic rank, experience, gender,
and training had statistically significant effects on faculty perceptions regarding barriers to
using Blackboard in teaching and learning. However, there were no statistically significant
differences on faculty perceptions regarding barriers to the utilization of Blackboard
triggered by the use or non-use of Blackboard. The current study also showed that
‘technological barriers’ and ‘institutional barriers’ were the most highly identified barriers
among the four categories of barriers explored in this study. The student barriers category
came as a third important factor, while the faculty barriers category ranked at the lower
end.
Keywords Blackboard � Barriers � Faculty perceptions � Use or non-use
and Drew 2014) and enhancing student engagement (Souza and Bingham 2005; Liaw
2008; Ituma 2011).
Part three of the questionnaire consisted of an open-ended question to elicit from faculty
other possible barriers that might hinder the use of Blackboard. However, no new barriers
were added by the participants. Since the questionnaire listed 38 items covering four
categories, this suggested that all barriers were included in the questionnaire, which might
be seen to have made this open-ended question redundant.
5 Limitations and Future Research
This study was susceptible to certain limitations that may limit generalizability. First of all,
this study only focused on barriers to using Blackboard based on a questionnaire of 38
items under four major categories prepared by the researchers. Further research is required
to explore other barriers so as to attain a better understanding of the issue. Furthermore, the
current study only concentrated on the perceptions of faculty. It would be better if students’
perceptions were taken in consideration in future research. Additionally, Future investi-
gations in this area might include possible strategies to avoid these barriers. Finally, this
study only focused on faculty at King Saud University during the 2015/2016 academic
year. Similar work could be repeated with faculty from different universities.
6 Conclusions
The Blackboard system has definitely added a new dimension to university education by
providing considerable teaching benefits to faculty and students alike. Blackboard allows
faculty members and students to log in and view learning materials conveniently inside and
outside of class time. Additionally, it can help improve the faculty-student communication
and aid in providing them with additional opportunities to interact with each other.
However, the participants’ perceptions indicated that, after years of working with Black-
board, there are still abundant barriers that either limit or completely impede the use of the
system.
This study was embarked upon to explore faculty perceptions of barriers to using the
Blackboard system at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. Results from faculty clearly
demonstrated that the demographic information of academic rank, experience, gender, and
training had statistically significant effects on faculty perceptions about barriers to using
T. M. Al Meajel, T. A. Sharadgah
123
Blackboard. However, there were no statistically significant differences based on use or
non-use of Blackboard. This suggested that both and non-users indicated that the system
has potential barriers preventing faculty from effectively using the Blackboard system.
From this study, the general categories of barriers to using Blackboard included tech-
nological barriers, institutional barriers, student barriers, and faculty barriers. Technolog-
ical barriers and institutional barriers have been identified as being the top barrier
categories influencing the use of Blackboard. The highly rated barriers under the category
of technological barriers were the large number of technical difficulties, the many tools that
are difficult to follow, the Internet disconnects frequently, and the slowdown of the Internet
at the increasing number of users. Institutional barriers included little or no technical
support, inadequate training for students, lack of appropriate training times, and lack of
time due to the bulky teaching load. This is followed by the category of student barriers,
including lack of skills and lack of motivation. The least rated category of barriers standing
against the utilization of the system was apropos of faculty members: the highest ranked
barriers under this category were germane to the availability of other ways to communicate
with students that supersede Blackboard; resistance to change; increased teaching load; and
Blackboard is too time-consuming during class.
In the current situation faculty would not be expected to be able to use Blackboard
effectively. Overcoming these barriers requires the university to thoughtfully address these
issues in order for faculty members to successfully utilize Blackboard in their teaching,
taking into consideration the result form the study indicating that the majority of the
participants were not using Blackboard (82.1%).
Acknowledgements This work was funded by the Educational Research Center, Deanship of Research,King Saud University. The authors also highly appreciate the faculty of King Saud University who par-ticipated in this study.
References
Abdalla, I. (2005). Evaluating effectiveness of Blackboard system using TAM framework: A structuralanalysis approach. In G. Richards (Ed.), Proceedings of E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning inCorporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2005 (pp. 477–481). Chesapeake, VA:Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Al-Fadhli, S. (2008). Students’ perceptions of e-learning in Arab Society: Kuwait University as a case study.E-Learning and Digital Media, 5(4), 418–428.
Alharbi, S., & Drew, S. (2014). Using the technology acceptance model in understanding academics’behavioural intention to use learning management systems. International Journal of Advanced Com-puter Science and Applications, 5(1), 143–155.
Allen, E., & Seaman, J. (2008). Staying the course: Online education in the United States. The SloanConsortium, Newburyport, MA 01950. USA.
Al-Mashaqbeh, I. F. (2009). The use of Blackboard software as a course delivery method. Journal ofEducational & Psychological Sciences, 10(3), 12–28.
Al-Naibi, S. A., Madarsha, K. B., & Ismail, N. A. (2015). Blackboard use by faculty members in the collegesof applied sciences in the Sultanate of Oman. International Journal for Innovation Education andResearch, 3(4), 26–40.
Al-Senaidi, S., Lin, L., & Poirot, J. (2009). Barriers to adopting technology for teaching and learning inOman. Computers & Education, 53(3), 575–590.
Al-Shammari, M. O., & Higgins, S. (2015). Obstacles facing faculty members in the effective implemen-tation of e-learning at some universities in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Information Tech-nology & Computer Science (IJITCS), 36(1), 1–139.
Al-Shboul, M. (2013). The level of e-learning integration at the University of Jordan: Challenges andopportunities. International Education Studies, 6(4), 93.
Barriers to Using the Blackboard System in Teaching and…
123
Beatty, B., & Ulasewicz, C. (2006). Faculty perspectives on moving from Blackboard to the Moodlelearning management system. TechTrends, 50(4), 36–45.
Bennett, J., & Bennett, L. (2003). A review of factors that influence the diffusion of innovation whenstructuring a faculty training program. Internet and Higher Education, 6, 53–63.
Butler, D. L., & Sellbom, M. (2002). Barriers to adopting technology for teaching and learning. EducauseQuarterly, 8(2), 22–28.
Chang, C. (2008). Faculty perceptions and utilization of a learning management system in higher education.Doctoral dissertation. Ohio University, USA.
Chawdhry, A., Paullet, K., & Benjamin, D. (2011). Assessing Blackboard: Improving online instructionaldelivery. Information Systems Education Journal, 9(4), 20.
Chawdhry, A., Paullet, K., & Benjamin, D. (2012). Comparatively assessing the use of Blackboard versusDesire2learn: Faculty perceptions of the online tools. Information Systems Education Journal, 10(3),47.
Chen, K. C., & Jang, S. J. (2010). Motivation in online learning: Testing a model of self-determinationtheory. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(4), 741–752.
Choy, D., Xiao, J., & Iliff, J. (2005). How can technology help improve the quality of Blackboard facultytraining and encourage faculty to use Blackboard? In 2005 Annual proceedings-Orlando, Vol. 1,pp. 130.
Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P., & Warshaw, P. R. (1989). User acceptance of computer technology: Acomparison of two theoretical models. Management Science, 35, 982–1003.
DeNeui, D. L., & Dodge, T. L. (2006). Asynchronous learning networks and student outcomes: The utilityof online learning components in hybrid courses. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 33(4), 256.
Dryden, J. E. (2008). Copyright in the real world: Making archival material available on the Internet.Doctoral dissertation. University of Toronto, USA.
D’Silva, R., & Reeder, K. (2005). Factors that influence faculty members’ uptake and continued use ofcourse management systems. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(6), 1071–1073.
Eldridge, B. (2014). Exploring faculty adoption and utilization of Blackboard at a community college in theKentucky Community and Technical College System. Doctoral dissertation, University of Kentucky,USA.
Gibbs, D., & Gosper, M. (2012). The upside-down-world of e-learning. Journal of learning design, 1(2),46–54.
Graham, C. M., & Jones, N. (2011). Cognitive dissonance theory and distance education: Faculty percep-tions on the efficacy of and resistance to distance education. International Journal of Business,Humanities, and Technology, 1(2), 212–227.
Griffiths, M. E. (2007). Patterns of user activity in the Blackboard course management system across allcourses in the 2004–2005 Academic Year at Brigham Young University (2007). All theses and dis-sertations. Paper 905. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from: http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1904&context=etd.
Hayes, W. S. (2007). Leadership and no child left behind. Technological Horizons in Education (THE)Journal, 31 (10). Retrieved 15th April 2016 from http://www.ctrserc.org/library.
Heirdsfield, A., Walker, S., Tambyah, M., & Beutel, D. (2011). Blackboard as an online learning envi-ronment: What do teacher education students and staff think? Australian Journal of Teacher Educa-tion, 36(7), 1–16.
Houtz, S., & Gupta, P. (2001). Gender roles, computer attitudes and dyadic computer interaction perfor-mance among university lecturers in Egypt. Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 20(3), 1–9.
Ituma, A. (2011). An evaluation of students’ perceptions and engagement with e-learning components in acampus based university. Active Learning in Higher Education, 12(1), 57–68.
Jones, A. E., & Moller, L. (2002). A comparison of continuing education and resident faculty attitudestowards using distance education in a higher education institution in Pennsylvania. College andUniversity Media Review, 9(1), 11–37.
Joseph, J. (2012). The barriers of using education technology for optimizing the educational experience oflearners. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 64, 427–436.
Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., & Wachira, P. (2008). Computer technology integration and student learning:Barriers and promise. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 17(6), 560–565.
Kenan, T., Pislaru, C., & Elzawi, A. (2012). Analysing the effectiveness of e-learning based on national andinternational cultures and approaches to pedagogy. In 17th UKAIS conference on information systems,2012, 27–28 March 2012, New College, Oxford University.
Laverty, J. P., Wood, D. F., Tannehill, D., Kohun, F. G., & Turchek, J. (2012). Factors affecting the usage ofonline course delivery tools. Issues in Information Systems, 13(2), 41–50.
Leeder, C., Lonn, S., & Hollar, S. (2012). Use of library tools in a learning management system. InProceedings of the 2012, February conference (pp. 595–597). New York, NY: ACM.
Li, Y. (2004). Faculty perceptions about attributes and barriers impacting diffusion of web-based distanceeducation (WBDE) at the China Agricultural University. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&MUniversity.
Liaw, S. S. (2008). Investigating students’ perceived satisfaction, behavioral intention, and effectiveness ofe-learning: A case study of the Blackboard system. Computers & Education, 51(2), 864–873.
Margaryan, A., Littlejohn, A., & Vojt, G. (2011). Are digital natives a myth or reality? University students’use of digital technologies. Computers & Education, 56(2), 429–440.
Meyer, K. A., & Xu, Y. J. (2009). A causal model of factors influencing faculty use of technology. Journalof Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13(2), 57–70.
Mohsen, M. A. (2014). EFL teachers’ perceptions on Blackboard applications. English Language Teaching,7(11), p108.
Nanayakkara, C. (2007). A model of user acceptance of learning management systems: A study withintertiary institutions in New Zealand. The International Journal of Learning, 13(12), 223–232.
Ngeze, L. V. (2016). Learning management systems in higher learning institutions in Tanzania: Analysis ofStudentsa [euro](TM) attitudes and challenges towards the use of UDOM LMS in teaching andlearning at the University of Dodoma. International Journal of Computer Applications, 136(11),975–8887.
Nichols, D. L. (2011). An exploration of Blackboard utilization by faculty at a Midwestern University.Doctoral Dissertation, Ohio University, USA.
Panthee, R. (2014). Inviting citizens designers to design digital interface for the democratization of webonline environment. Computational Linguistics: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications,V3, 1727, Information Resources Management Association, USA.
Pereira, A. S. (2015). Faculty willingness to complete information technology training on course man-agement systems. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies, Scholar Works. Doctoral Dissertation,Walden University, USA.
Petherbridge, D. T. (2007). A concerns-based approach to the adoption of web-based learning managementsystems. Doctoral Dissertation, North Carolina State University, USA.
Ritter, M. (2012). Barriers to teaching introductory physical geography online. Review of InternationalGeography Education Online, 2(1), 61–77.
Rogers, P. L. (2000). Barriers to adopting emerging technologies in education. Journal of ComputingResearch, 22(4), 455–472.
Ryan, T. G., Toye, M., Charron, K., & Park, G. (2012). Learning management system migration: Ananalysis of stakeholder perspectives. The International Review of Research in Open and DistributedLearning, 13(1), 220–237.
Schoepp, K. (2004). Technology integration barriers in a technology-rich environment: A CBAM per-spective. Online Submission. Doctoral Dissertation, Calgary, Alberta.
Schoepp, K. (2005). Barriers to technology integration in a technology-rich environment. Learning andTeaching in Higher Education: Gulf perspectives, 2(1), 1–24.
Schwartz, K., Northrup, J., Israel, N., Crowell, K., Lauder, N., & Neale, A. V. (2003). Use of on-lineevidence-based resources at the point of care. Family Medicine-Kansas City, 35(4), 251–256.
Shamoail, E. (2005). Teachers’ perceptions and experiences in adopting Blackboard computer program in aVictorian secondary school: A case study. Doctoral Dissertation, Victoria University, Australia.
Smith, T. (2011). Interactive online technology tools to enhance learning for english composition students.In Society for information technology & teacher education international conference, Vol. 2011, No. 1,pp. 3755–3757.
Sneller, J. E. (2004). A web dream team: The seven principles and WebCT. Academic Exchange Quarterly,8(4), 130–134.
Souza, J., & Bingham, P. M. (2005). Integration of available and new technologies to raise studentunderstanding and engagement. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 34(2), 189–198.
Sowan, A. K., & Jenkins, L. S. (2013). Designing, delivering and evaluating a distance learning nursingcourse responsive to students needs. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 82(6), 553–564.
Taylor, F. (2011). A quadripolar model of identity in adolescent foreign language learners. Doctoraldissertation, University of Nottingham, UK.
Tella, A. (2011). Reliability and factor analysis of a Blackboard course management system success: A scaledevelopment and validation in an educational context. Journal of Information Technology Education,10, 53–80.
Voytecki, K., Engleman, M., & Jeffs, T. (2010). A preliminary investigation into pedagogical and practicaldifficulties encountered by University Faculty in Online Teaching. In D. Gibson & B. Dodge (Eds.),
Barriers to Using the Blackboard System in Teaching and…
123
Proceedings of society for information technology & teacher education international conference2010 (pp. 956–961). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education(AACE). Retrieved May 5, 2016 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/33471.
Vrazalic, L., MacGregor, R., & Behl, D. (2010). E-learning barriers in the United Arab Emirates: Pre-liminary results from an empirical investigation. Journal IBIMA Business Review., 2010, 1–9.
Wang, J., Kourik, J. L., & Maher, P. E. (2010). Introducing leading it technologies into curricula via theIBM academic initiative. In Proceedings of ASBBS annual conference, Las Vegas, February 2010, Vol.17(1), pp. 888–899.
Wanjala, A. S. (2015). Teachers’ perceptions on the use of information communication technology in theadministration of public secondary schools in Kimilili District, Bungoma Country. Doctoral Disser-tation. The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Kenya.
West, R. E., Waddoups, G., Kennedy, M. M., & Graham, C. R. (2007). Evaluating the impact on users fromimplementing a course management system. International Journal of Instructional Technology andDistance Learning, 4(2). http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/2134.
Woods, R., Baker, J. D., & Hopper, D. (2004). Hybrid structures: Faculty use and perception of web-basedcourseware as a supplement to face-to-face instruction. The Internet and Higher Education, 7(4),281–297.
Zirkle, C. (2002). Identification of distance education barriers for trade and industrial teacher education.Journal of Industrial Teacher Education (JITE), 40(1), 20–44.