Factors affecting the use and non-use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) by academic staff

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify the factors that affect the use and non-use of a Learning Management System (LMS) by lecturers in a South African university. This research involved a qualitative case-study of lecturers, and utilised questionnaires for data collection. Findings showed that both internal and external factors are important in shaping use of LMS. Contrary to the literature, high levels of use were found amongst the respondents with a high perception of ease of use and usefulness. However, due to issues such as lack of ongoing training, more advanced features of the technology were not being utilised. It also emerged that patterns of use were affected by pre-existing practices and that the perception of the system was affected by differences to the previous system. This study contributed to literature by providing in-depth analysis of why certain factors affect lectures’ decision regarding LMS usage. Future research should consider the use of extended features of LMSs and the prior practices and systems used within the context of study to understand how they affect use or non-use of an LMS. This study contributes to practice through promoting understanding of why there is underuse of extended features of an LMS among lecturers.

Keywords

• LMS
• academic staff
• use
• adoption