Factors affecting faculty use of learning object repositories
| Date | 02 November 2015 |
| Pages | 1065-1078 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-07-2014-0108 |
| Published date | 02 November 2015 |
| Author | Hong Xu |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Factors affecting faculty use of
learning object repositories
Hong Xu
Department of Research, Commercialization, and Outreach,
Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this study was to identify factors that motivate or impede faculty use of
learning object repositories (LORs). The unied theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT)
served as the theoretical framework for this study.
Design/methodology/approach – The study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to
explore two research questions relating to factors affecting faculty use of LORs. Research subjects were
faculty users in two- or four-year colleges or universities from two LORs: Orange Grove and Wisconsin
Online Resource Center (Wisc-Online). Two phases of the study were conducted. Phase I of the study
collected data by semi-structured interviews, and data were analyzed by a content analysis method.
Based on the results of Phase I, Phase II collected data by a survey instrument, and data were analyzed
by descriptive statistics and analysis of variance.
Findings – The study identied 22 factors as motivators for faculty use of LORs and 13 factors as
barriers for faculty use of LORs.
Research limitations/implications – The research policies of Orange Grove and Wisc-Online
limited the selection of study participants. Lack of a random sample and a small sample size limited the
generalizability of the results and ndings of the study. However, as an exploratory research, the results
and ndings of the study are still valuable for LOR builders and managers to get a better understanding
of factors affecting faculty use of LORs, and to develop strategies to recruit more faculty members to use
LORs.
Practical implications – The ndings and results of the study can inform designers and managers
of LORs about what positively or negatively inuences faculty use of LORs, and serve as a basis to
develop strategies to recruit faculty members to use LORs.
Originality/value – First, this study identied the factors that motivate or impede faculty use of
LORs from actual faculty users’ perspectives, so these factors more accurately reect LORs’ values to
faculty in teaching and course design and the barriers for faculty use of LORs in a practical
environment. Second, this study is among the rst known to explore these factors using UTAUT as the
theoretical framework, and the results of the study also validate UTAUT in the context of faculty use of
LORs.
Keywords Digital libraries, Course design, Learning object repositories, Learning objects
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Although faculty may not be familiar with the term learning object (LO), they may have
already used these in their instruction and course designing. An LO is dened as “any
digital resource that can be reused to support learning” (Wiley, 2000, p. 7). Educators
have a long history of sharing and reusing learning resources in the form of textbooks,
and conference and peer-reviewed journal papers; LOs can be shared and reused also
(Campbell, 2003;Maloney et al., 2013;Pras, 2001). The LO is only one type of learning
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
Learning
object
repositories
1065
Received 11 July 2014
Revised 2 October 2014
Accepted 21 November 2014
TheElectronic Library
Vol.33 No. 6, 2015
pp.1065-1078
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/EL-07-2014-0108
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