EXAMINING FACULTY PERCEPTIONS OF BLACKBOARD BY USING THE .

British Journal of EducationVol.5, No.13, pp.1-9, December 2017Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)EXAMINING FACULTY PERCEPTIONS OF BLACKBOARD BY USING THETECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODELAbdulsalam Dael Amer SaifFaculty of Education, Najran University, PO box 1988, Najran 61441, KSAABSTRACT: This study aims to investigate faculty perceptions of blackboard usage, utilizingTechnology Acceptance Model (TAM) as its theoretical basis. The TAM questionnaire wasadministered to a sample of faculty members in the Faculty of Education at Najran University,after modifying the items to be suitable to Saudi Arabia society. This questionnaire measuresthree hypothesized constructs of e-learning: perceived usefulness of the blackboard, and usageof the blackboard. The findings of the study showing faculty members' Perceived Ease of Usehaving significant on their perceptions about usefulness and attitudes towards us of theblackboard in teaching. Although there are many more questions than answers regardingteaching with Blackboard as learning management system, it is hoped that these results andexperiences may encourage further pedagogical dialogue, and empirical results about how todeliver and organize courses in this technological environment effectively and successfully.KEYWORDS: Technology Acceptance Model (ATM) ,Blackboard, E-learningINTRODUCTIONEducation and technology are two key elements having an important role in human’s life.Technology helps individuals to take advantages of their knowledge and skills more effectivelyand efficiently. Technology is the discipline which consists of gathering machine, process,method, system, management, control system and bridges between science and applications.E-learning has been used in education as early as the 1950’s, and it was referred to as distancelearning (Clark, 2000). The term E-learning refers to the learning methods which use electronicchannels to deliver the instructional content. Moreover, e-learning is also referred to as webbased learning; technology based learning; online learning; and network learning (Fusilier, andDurlabhji, 2005).Due to a broad global attention given to e-Learning, sevral reports and studies have beenconducted by educational institutions, different organizations, and governments (Bhatiasevi,2011). The Saudi Ministry of Higher Education is one of those educational organizations thatproposed the use of e-learning, and recognized the need of integrating Information andCommunication Technology (ICT) among universities in Saudi Arabia. The increasedprojection shows vital focus on the advantages of e-learning in Saudi Arabia’s moderneducation. However, many factors still influence negatively on the students' participation in theonline courses. Al-Jarf (2007) observed that Saudi students had a negative attitude towardsonline courses.Many educational institutions are making significant investments in Web-based coursemanagement software such as Blackboard and WebCT. The blackboard System is at the frontof recent technological advances in higher education. It has been adopted by severaluniversities as an online learning management system for all learners (Blackboard LearnTM,2009). The blackboard has been categorized as a Learning Management System (LMS), which1ISSN 2055-0111(Print), ISSN 2055-012X(Online)

British Journal of EducationVol.5, No.13, pp.1-9, December 2017Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)can be used together with face to face interaction. It provides an online space where there area variety of tools which can be used to enhance learners teaching and learning experience.The Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia has recognized that distance learning is verycrucial to the future success of Saudi education expansion and quality. Therefore, many Saudiuniversities have increasingly used e-learning solutions and learning management systems asa part of the teaching methods (Ahmed, & El Zawaidy, 2014 ). These universities have selectedthe Blackboard system as a strategic partner to support their e-learning requirements. Theyfound blackboard solutions to offer advanced functionality and significantly enhancedcollaborative learning opportunities compared to competing vendors. Moreover, it was foundthat blackboard solutions would be easier to implement and manage than the alternatives basedon the company’s strong and proven product support and well-organized, global usercommunity.LITERATURE REVIEWThe recent LMS like blackboard at the institution understudy is believed to be one of theresponses to the imperatives of dealing with skills shortages and facilitating the needs of the21st century learners. Since Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is affectingthe 21st century students in every aspect of their lives in the university, it is necessary to engagestudents with ICTs within the university and to explore their experiences of how thesetechnologies impact their learning environment (Blackboard LearnTM, 2009). At the sametime, due to the residential nature of the University, a blended Learning approach through theintegration of the blackboard technology into teaching and learning was felt to be suitable bythe researcher concerned.Faculty members and students may benefit from using blackboard. Benefits include increasedavailability, quick feedback, improved two-way interactions, tracking, and building skills suchas organization, time management and communication (Bradford et al., 2006-2007). In termsof availability, users can access blackboard via the internet at anytime and anywhere (DeNeui& Dodge, 2006), so students can view and download course materials and other information aswell as submitting assignments online as soon as they are complete. Previous study such asHeirdsfield et al., 2007, indicates that it is the increased availability that most appeals tostudents. While students may appreciate the convenience, students are generally less satisfiedwith online learning compared to traditional face-to-face learning (Pillay, Irving, & Tones,2007). Students mention reasons such as the lack of a learning atmosphere in blackboard,reduced opportunities for interactions or discussions with teachers and other students, delayedfeedback from teachers and a less efficient learning process with students required to dedicatemore time to learning the content (Liaw, 2008; Yang & Cornelius, 2004). Especially, whenstudents have questions or concerns, lack of immediate clarification can slow down the leaningprocess (Belcheir & Cucek, 2001). Thus, it appears that student dissatisfaction with onlinelearning experiences stems from pedagogical issues rather than logistical concerns (Summers,Waigandt, & Whittaker, 2005).Blackboard features that facilitate interactions include announcements, discussions, virtualclassroom, chat and email (Bradford et al., 2006-2007). The announcements section onblackboard homepages provides a simple way of relaying messages on to all students in thecohort without taking up valuable class time, while the email facility provides students with2ISSN 2055-0111(Print), ISSN 2055-012X(Online)

British Journal of EducationVol.5, No.13, pp.1-9, December 2017Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)the opportunity to communicate with teachers on an as-needed basis (Ballard et al., 2004). Mostfeatures of the blackboard encourage student-centred approaches to learning. Especially, theasynchronous online discussion function of blackboard allows students to interact frequentlywith each other and with the teachers. Asynchronous discussions have the advantage ofallowing students to take time to thoughtfully compose their responses before posting themonline. However, the lack of immediacy in asynchronous discussions makes them unpopularfor students who may need instantaneously help (Gorski, Caspi & Trumper, 2004). On the otherhand, synchronous discussions, as evident in the virtual classroom facility, are in real time andhave a solider sense of social presence (Malikowski et al., 2007, p. 159). Both synchronousand asynchronous discussions provide an environment of collegiality and support that may beestablished within the student cohorts. These fundamental interactions also allow students andteachers to talk and work with each other without having to schedule a suitable time for allparties to meet (Ballard et al., 2004).The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was initially proposed by Davis (1989). The TAMcomprises two beliefs, the perceived utilities and the perceived ease of application, whichdetermine attitudes to adopt new technologies. The model suggests that when users arepresented with a new technology, a number of factors influence their decision about how andwhen they will use it. According to Davis, positive perception of technology's ease of use,usefulness, and attitudes towards technology usage are significant determinants of the intentionto use a technology.At the same time, the TAM is one of the most frequently employed models for research intonew information technology acceptance. The model was introduced in order to help researchersand practitioners to study the process of implementation of new technology in the workplace.It works by assessing attitude of personnel with respect to new technology over perceived easeof use and usefulness.The TAM is an adaptation of Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) specifically tailored formodeling user acceptance of information systems (Davis et al. 1989). The model provides abasis for tracing the impact of external factors on internal beliefs, attitudes, and intentions(Davis et al., 1989). The two main constructs of TAM are perceived usefulness and perceivedease of use. Perceived usefulness is defined as the extent to which ones believes that using atechnology will enhance their productivity and perceived ease of use is the extent to whichones believes that using a technology will be free of effort. TAM suggests that behavioralintention determines actual systems use and behavioral intention is determined by both attitudeand perceived usefulness. Both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have an effecton behavioral intention. Perceived ease of use also affects perceived usefulness. At the sametime, behavioral intentions are influenced indirectly by external variables through perceivedusefulness and perceived ease of use. The figure 1, given below illustrates the basic researchmodel showing the casual linkages in TAM.3ISSN 2055-0111(Print), ISSN 2055-012X(Online)