9.5.2 Micro-Level: Recommendations
for Instructors and Researchers
(a) Recommendations for Instructors
• Participating in Professional Development Programs: It was indicated by instructors that there is a
need for training on the new Blackboard system
because they were unaware of many features of the new
Blackboard version. Thus, such instructors will perceive technology to be hard to use, resulting in the
production of avoidance behaviors concerning
(LMS) technology used for teaching and learning.
Professional development programs of an LMS tailored
to new and more experienced instructors are recommended at the start of every academic year. The participation of instructors in professional development
programs could enhance instructors’ skills, knowledge,
alternative pedagogical strategies, and emerging educational tools such as LMSs (Doutrich, Hoeskel,
Wykoff, & Thiele, 2005).
• Communicating and Interacting Using an LMS: It is
clear from the results that the majority of the instructors
consider that an LMS is the most suitable interaction
tool for communication with students. The findings
indicate that improved communications with chat,
emails, and mobile apps of LMS appeared to impact
positively on the progress of the students. Instructors’
accessibility and feedback is an essential part of LMS
usage for the students. It is recommended that instructors should make contact with students and stay
involved. To make the better use of LMS, course
instructors should be engaged in the discussion forums,
ask questions, clarify their doubts, and focus the discussion on important topics.
• Using Higher Level Features of LMS: The literature
on LMS shows that various higher level features (such
as lesson activity module, OU Wiki activities, Blackboard collaboration, Blackboard Instructors, and
Blackboard Apps for students) are available in the
recent LMSs which are currently underutilized. The
instructors are recommended to use the higher level
features of LMSs in their teaching. The instructors
should also consider using assistive technologies in
their teaching. Assistive technologies, for instance,
voice recognition would assist instructors and students
in the teaching and learning process. It would be beneficial not only for instructors but also for the students.
• Making Learning Communities: In teaching and
learning environments instructors are expected to
interact with each other, discuss issues, share the
experience of their students, and exchange scholarly
work. It is recommended that ‘learning communities’
for the instructors should be formed within the institutions to nurture collaborative learning and teaching
practices. Learning communities would help in
improving trust, interaction, and sharing of knowledge
of the instructors (Nett, 2008). It can be any mode of
interaction such as face-to-face, social media, or a
combination of both. The instructors can meet regularly
to discuss and update their skills and knowledge on
LMS technology, share ideas on current research, and
can also restructure the courses they are teaching.
• Recommending Peers and Students: The results of
this research lead to the inference that ease of use of an
LMS is an important factor that influences the behavioral intentions of instructors to adopt an LMS. It is
recommended that instructors with positive perceptions
of LMS should recommend and encourage other
instructors to use LMS in their teaching.
(b) Recommendations for researchers
• Removing the Construct ‘Habit’ from original
UTAUT2 model: The original UTAUT2 model used a
‘habit’ construct in the context of mobile phones. In this
study, the construct ‘habit’ was removed due to its poor
reliability and validity. It was found that individuals are
more dependent on mobile phones than on LMS, as
LMS is only a teaching and learning tool. Since this
construct is not relevant to LMS, the researchers in the
area of LMS adoption are recommended to rephrase the
questions about this construct by asking specifically if
the ‘LMS has become their habit in teaching’ or by
removing this construct.
• Considering Demographic Variables: Although professional assistance, institutional support, and cultural
factors influence the adoption of LMS, a clear picture of
demographic variables such as differences in personality factors, academic discipline, curriculum, association,
and institutional policies, is also required. Researchers
are recommended to consider all possible demographic
influential variables.
9.6 Summary
This study developed and employed an extended UTAUT2
model to assess the factors that influenced the adoption of
LMS at higher educational institutions of Saudi Arabia. The
88
9 Conclusions and the Road Ahead
for Instructors and Researchers
(a) Recommendations for Instructors
• Participating in Professional Development Programs: It was indicated by instructors that there is a
need for training on the new Blackboard system
because they were unaware of many features of the new
Blackboard version. Thus, such instructors will perceive technology to be hard to use, resulting in the
production of avoidance behaviors concerning
(LMS) technology used for teaching and learning.
Professional development programs of an LMS tailored
to new and more experienced instructors are recommended at the start of every academic year. The participation of instructors in professional development
programs could enhance instructors’ skills, knowledge,
alternative pedagogical strategies, and emerging educational tools such as LMSs (Doutrich, Hoeskel,
Wykoff, & Thiele, 2005).
• Communicating and Interacting Using an LMS: It is
clear from the results that the majority of the instructors
consider that an LMS is the most suitable interaction
tool for communication with students. The findings
indicate that improved communications with chat,
emails, and mobile apps of LMS appeared to impact
positively on the progress of the students. Instructors’
accessibility and feedback is an essential part of LMS
usage for the students. It is recommended that instructors should make contact with students and stay
involved. To make the better use of LMS, course
instructors should be engaged in the discussion forums,
ask questions, clarify their doubts, and focus the discussion on important topics.
• Using Higher Level Features of LMS: The literature
on LMS shows that various higher level features (such
as lesson activity module, OU Wiki activities, Blackboard collaboration, Blackboard Instructors, and
Blackboard Apps for students) are available in the
recent LMSs which are currently underutilized. The
instructors are recommended to use the higher level
features of LMSs in their teaching. The instructors
should also consider using assistive technologies in
their teaching. Assistive technologies, for instance,
voice recognition would assist instructors and students
in the teaching and learning process. It would be beneficial not only for instructors but also for the students.
• Making Learning Communities: In teaching and
learning environments instructors are expected to
interact with each other, discuss issues, share the
experience of their students, and exchange scholarly
work. It is recommended that ‘learning communities’
for the instructors should be formed within the institutions to nurture collaborative learning and teaching
practices. Learning communities would help in
improving trust, interaction, and sharing of knowledge
of the instructors (Nett, 2008). It can be any mode of
interaction such as face-to-face, social media, or a
combination of both. The instructors can meet regularly
to discuss and update their skills and knowledge on
LMS technology, share ideas on current research, and
can also restructure the courses they are teaching.
• Recommending Peers and Students: The results of
this research lead to the inference that ease of use of an
LMS is an important factor that influences the behavioral intentions of instructors to adopt an LMS. It is
recommended that instructors with positive perceptions
of LMS should recommend and encourage other
instructors to use LMS in their teaching.
(b) Recommendations for researchers
• Removing the Construct ‘Habit’ from original
UTAUT2 model: The original UTAUT2 model used a
‘habit’ construct in the context of mobile phones. In this
study, the construct ‘habit’ was removed due to its poor
reliability and validity. It was found that individuals are
more dependent on mobile phones than on LMS, as
LMS is only a teaching and learning tool. Since this
construct is not relevant to LMS, the researchers in the
area of LMS adoption are recommended to rephrase the
questions about this construct by asking specifically if
the ‘LMS has become their habit in teaching’ or by
removing this construct.
• Considering Demographic Variables: Although professional assistance, institutional support, and cultural
factors influence the adoption of LMS, a clear picture of
demographic variables such as differences in personality factors, academic discipline, curriculum, association,
and institutional policies, is also required. Researchers
are recommended to consider all possible demographic
influential variables.
9.6 Summary
This study developed and employed an extended UTAUT2
model to assess the factors that influenced the adoption of
LMS at higher educational institutions of Saudi Arabia. The
88
9 Conclusions and the Road Ahead