The adoption and diffusion of eLearning in UK universities: …

A comparative case study using Giddens’s Theory of Structuration

an article by Glenn Hardaker (University of Huddersfield Business School) and Gurmak Singh (University of Wolverhampton Business School) published in Campus-Wide Information Systems, Volume 28 Issue 4 (2011)

Abstract

Purpose
This exploratory study seeks to identifythe factors that influence the adoption and diffusion of instructional technology at five prominent universities in the UK. The study aims to examine the organisational factors that enable and inhibit organisational adoption and diffusion of innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative exploratory case approach has been adopted to address the research question. In total, 36 semi-structured interviews were conducted at five universities in the UK. The five diverse approaches to adoption and diffusion of instructional technology were examined; top-down, integrated top-down, bottom-up, research-driven and project-driven approach.
Findings
For this research e-Learning is conceptualised as innovation situated in the interplay between structure and individual and how this leads to adoption and diffusion. The paper argues that senior management need to acknowledge the need to bridge the gap between “local context” and top-down strategic change. The findings suggest that there are tensions between “signification of meaning”, “power and dominance” and cultural norms in adoption and diffusion of e-Learning.
Research limitations/implications
The implications of the research are significant in understanding the diversity of approaches to the adoption and diffusion of e-learning. This provides insight for other universities in successfully managing the application of e-learning.
Originality/value
Giddens's structuration theory provided a sensitising framework for understanding the dialectical nature of adoption of e-Learning within five universities in the UK. The tensions between institutional structures, such as strategies, training, access to technology, technical support and time resources, and levels of adoption can be captured by dialectic of control in Giddens's Theory of Structuration.

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