The Adoption of a Virtual Learning Environment Among "Digital Immigrant" Engineering Lecturers: a Case Study

Abstract

The use of Virtual Learning Environments in Higher Education has increased significantly in recent years. Despite this there are some teaching staff whose usage is minimal. This research seeks to establish the reasons for this lack of adoption, particularly with regard to staff born before the widespread use of digital technology. A single case study approach with multiple embedded units was utilised. The participants were drawn from the Engineering faculty of an Irish Institute of Technology. The significant findings were that the main factors hindering the adoption of VLEs were the belief that VLEs discourage attendance in class which is essential for some learners, and that academic staff would lose control of their materials to their detriment were they to utilise the VLE. The implications of this research are that the perceptions and beliefs of academic staff play an important role in their adoption of a VLE. Some of these beliefs give rise to concerns as to the appropriateness of VLE use. In order to further promote the use of VLEs there is a need for both academic staff and their Institutes to reflect on how these concerns can be properly addressed.

Keywords

• higher education
• Learning and Teaching
• Digital immigrants
• Virtual learning Environments
• Technology Enhanced Learning