Southern U.S. teachers at suburban high schools can use Edmodo; however, teachers prefer traditional teacher-centered teaching methods. This quantitative correlative study explored teachers' technology acceptance in relation to teaching styles and experiences. Framing acceptance by Davis's technology acceptance model (TAM), research questions addressed the direct and moderating relationships between teaching style and the TAM variables related to using Edmodo and the direct and moderating relationships between teaching experiences and TAM variables. From 240 teachers at the high school, 45 completed an online survey (response rate of 18.75%). Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and regression analyzed data. TAM could be verified for the entire sample; however, no significant direct relationship between teaching style and the TAM variables was found. Teaching style moderated the relationships within the TAM; these were stronger for teachers with a teacher-centered teaching style. No significant direct relationship existed between teaching experiences and TAM variables; a moderating effect on the relationships existed within the TAM. Among experienced teachers, ease of use was the strongest acceptance predictor, whereas perceived use was the strongest predictor among less experienced teachers. Results indicated teachers might develop a more student-centered teaching style, thus concentrating on technology's ease of use, rather than its potential utility. A policy recommendation could ensure teachers efficiently used technology to support student-centered learning. The application of the recommended policies might lead to teachers' more effective use of instructional technology, which might affect student learning and motivation.

[pt] As operadoras celulares estão vivendo um momento no qual a comunicação por voz praticamente já chegou ao seu ápice e os serviços de valor agregado estão se tornando peças fundamentais para o sucesso de uma empresa móvel. O Serviço de Mensagem de Texto (SMS) é o serviço de valor agregado mais difundido atualmente, sendo responsável por aproximadamente 80% da receita de dados da maioria das operadoras móveis no Brasil e no mundo. Esta dissertação busca compreender os motivadores que levam os usuários de celular a adotarem o Serviço de Mensagem de Texto. Para compreendê-los foi realizada uma análise baseada no Modelo de Aceitação da Tecnologia (TAM - Technology Acceptance Model) incluindo as variáveis qualidade do serviço percebida e custo percebido. A análise de dados foi feita por meio de análise multivariada utilizando o software estatístico SPSS 13.0, e o sistema de equações estruturais foi suportado pelo software AMOS 4.0. Constatou-se no modelo que, apesar das variáveis Facilidade Percebida, Qualidade do Serviço Percebida e Custo Percebido influenciarem a Atitude em Relação ao Uso; a Utilidade Percebida é o constructo mais relevante na determinação da Atitude em Relação ao Uso e da Intenção de Uso, e que a Intenção de Uso é fundamental para o constructo Uso Real. / [en] Mobile operators have been challenged since voice communication reached its peak and value added services became crucial for success. SMS is the most adopted value added service and responds for 80% of mobile data revenues in Brazil and in the world. This essay tries to understand customer`s motivation for adopting SMS service. An extended version of TAM - Technology Acceptance Model that includes the Perceived Quality Service and the Perceived Cost variables was analyzed in order to understand these factors. The software SPSS 13.0 helped to perform a multivariate data analysis and the structured equations were supported by the software AMOS 4.0. The analysis of results provides the following conclusions: Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Service Quality and Perceived Cost influence the Attitude toward Using; Perceived Usefulness is the most relevant construct to determine the Attitude toward Using and the Behavioral Intention to Use; Behavioral Intention to Use is key driver to the construct Actual Use.

Today¡¦s motorcycle business has come to the saturation point in the market of Tawian; consequently, the major motorcycle companies recently competed with each other in building the DMS (Dealer Management System) by using the e-solutions. Through the deployment of an e-DMS (e-solutions of Dealer Management System) for shops of motorcycle, the manufacturers hope that all the channels could be more competitive. The purpose of this research is to explore the influence factors concerning the adoption of e-DMS of motorcycle¡¦s shops. After the studies of literature and empiric, the research is based on ¡§Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior¡¨ (Taylor and Todd, 1995b) to establish the research model.This resrerch suveryed 250 samples of motorcycle¡¦s shops for study cases The result of the research indicated that factors influenced the adoption of e-DMS for motorcycle shops as follows: (1).¡§Behavioral Intention¡¨ was principally influenced by ¡§Attitude¡¨ and ¡§Perceived Behavioral Control¡¨. The later was less important than the former. ¡§Subject Norms¡¨ showed no obvious influence. (2).¡§Attitude¡¨ was mainly influenced by ¡§Perceived Usefulness¡¨, ¡§Perceived Ease of Use¡¨ and ¡§Compatibility¡¨. The first two factors were more important than the last one. (3).¡§Perceived Behavioral Control¡¨ was chiefly influenced by ¡§Self-efficacy¡¨ and ¡§Technology Facilitating Conditions¡¨. The later was less essential than the former. ¡§Resource Facilitating Conditions¡¨ showed no apparent influence. In the end, this research checks explanation by using three acceptance models, TAM (Davis, 1989), TPB (Ajzen, 1985) and D-TPB (Taylor and Todd, 1995b) to evaluate. All the explanations were nearly close. Because D-TPB considered the contruct of society psychology, it shows better explanation than the others.

The main aim of this thesis study is to identify the factors that affect higher education students&rsquo / perceptions of computerized assessment for learning. This study additionally aims to help effective use of computers in assessment activities by guiding the teachers or educational organization by interpreting the factors that affect students&rsquo / attitudes toward computer use in examinations. Quantitative research design has been used in this study. When choosing the participants, nonprobability sampling strategy was used due to its convenience. A total number 332 student of Middle East Technical University participated in the study. The data has been analyzed via Confirmatory Factor Analysis and interpreted by Structural Equation Modeling. The data loaded under 5 constructs: Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Intention, Computer Attitude and Anxiety. By identifying the relations between these constructs, a structural model was created to determine the intention of students&rsquo / towards computerized assessment. The findings of this study have revealed that &ldquo / perceived usefulness&rdquo / is the most important determinant in students&rsquo / willingness to use computerized assessment. Additionally, if students have anxiety resulted from computer use, this affect their easiness perceptions negatively. Computer attitude is another factor that affects students&rsquo / perceptions of easiness and their anxiety. Finally it is concluded that students&rsquo / computer attitudes and anxiety affect their behaviors toward computerized assessment.

The recent advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs) over the past two decades have influenced many aspects of live ([19] and [7]). These advances make the issue of acceptance of ICTs a topic of increasing importance, particularly in educational research and practice [18]. Many studies have been conducted to understand, explain, and predict the issue of acceptance and use of new technologies. Fortunately, these studies have resulted in several serious theoretical developments [9]. Overall understanding of the role of culture and social norms in influencing acceptance and use of education technologies, particularly collaborative and interactive technologies such as the internet, can facilitate the successful implementation and use of these technologies in the educational context. This study concentrates on providing insight into the influence of culture and social processes on staff members’ acceptance and use of educational technology, namely the internet at Khartoum state universities (KSUs). Specifically, the study aims to identify the influential role of these factors on acceptance and the use of the internet as a helpful collaborative educational technology. To achieve this aim, the study adopts technology acceptance model (TAM), which is modified (i.e. extended) with Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (mainly uncertainty avoidance and masculinity). With the help of a structural equation model (SEM), the data assessment demonstrates the validity of the model and proves that social influence process and cultural factors have significant (direct and moderate) influence on staff members’ acceptance and use of internet technology for teaching and academic activities – i.e. the authors are able to assert that community matters in the adoption of these new ICTs. The article concludes by offering important implications and recommendations for both research and practice.

In today’s world, we live in a technologically advanced environment where information access is huge and limitless. The advantage to this is that, people are able to create more information, share and communicate with each other instantly on the go regardless of where they are in the world. However on the downside, with endless information, it becomes confusing and difficult to filter which information is right for a person’s need. This goes hand-in-hand for business companies, as it requires strategic processes and tools to identify the information from the market, store and evaluate it into meaningful insights and lastly communicate it efficiently so that the value of it is not lost along the way. Therefore this study focuses on how augmented reality (AR) as an emerging digital technology is able to dissect and communicate information and bring value to those who are implementing it. What is more interesting in this study is to see the usefulness and ease of using AR from commercial and non-commercial aspects in B2B field. This study was conducted through a qualitative research approach with semi-structured interviews with five companies providing and using AR applications. In conclusion, AR brings value by transferring data faster and communicating it effectively through visualization of integrating computer-generated information with the real world as one. From commercial aspect, companies could use this technology in their marketing communication to increase customer involvement and perception of the brand. In contrast, from non-commercial perspective, companies could use AR as an internal resource to increase efficiency in operation process.

There was a lack of knowledge about the user’s acceptance of smart devices as ubiquitous learning (u-learning) tools at higher education institutions in Sweden. As the mobile technology grows, the demand for mobile devices, particularly smart devices increases as well. With the increase in the usage of smart devices, the higher education institutions provide mobile learning platforms to attract more customers in the competitive industry of education. Thus, understanding the key factors from the perspectives of end-users is important for the institutions to survive in the competitive market. This study explores and explains Behavioral and Continuance intentions of students regarding the acceptance and usage of smart devices (Smartphones and Personal Digital Assistants or PDA) as u-learning tools. Key factors related to the users’ intentions to accept and continue using smart devices as u-learning tools were identified and hypothesized in the Swedish context. Ten hypotheses were suggested based on TAM, UTAUT, and ECT. To achieve the aim and objective of this study, a quantitative approach was chosen, and a survey strategy based on purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used. A web-based questionnaire on five-points Likert Scale was designed to collect the required data. 115 (96 valid) students answered the questionnaire. The collected data were used to conduct statistical operations in SPSS. Five hypotheses were supported, and the other five were not. The findings suggest that Performance Expectancy, Perceived Mobility value, Confirmation, and Satisfaction positively influence both Behavioral and Continuance Intentions of students to accept and continue using smart devices as u-learning tools. According to the findings, Confirmation and Satisfaction from ECT can be included as separate constructs in UTAUT and UTAUT2. Higher education institutions planning to have (and those that already have) learning platforms, compatible with smart devices, can benefit from the findings. Higher education institutions can also design their u-learning platforms according to the Performance Expectancy, Perceived Mobility value, Confirmation, and Satisfaction of the students. / Master program in Strategic-IT Management

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:52:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 IdelmarciaDO.pdf: 781272 bytes, checksum: fb2e5ba3247ab47eff60bb3c30b07e21 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-10-19 / The spread of the Web boosted the dissemination of Information Systems (IS) based on the Web. In order to support the implementation of these systems, several technologies came up or evolved with this purpose, namely the programming languages. The Technology Acceptance Model TAM (Davis, 1986) was conceived aiming to evaluate the acceptance/use of information technologies by their users. A lot of studies and many applications have used the TAM, however, in the literature it was not found a mention of the use of such model related to the use of programming languages. This study aims to investigate which factors influence the use of programming languages on the development of Web systems by their developers, applying an extension of the TAM, proposed in this work. To do so, a research was done with Web developers in two Yahoo groups: java-br and python-brasil, where 26 Java questionnaires and 39 Python questionnaires were fully answered. The questionnaire had general questions and questions which measured intrinsic and extrinsic factors of the programming languages, the perceived usefulness, the perceived ease of use, the attitude toward the using and the programming language use. Most of the respondents were men, graduate, between 20 and 30 years old, working in the southeast and south regions. The research was descriptive in the sense of its objectives. Statistical tools, descriptive statistics, main components and linear regression analysis were used for the data analysis. The foremost research results were: Java and Python have machine independence, extensibility, generality and reliability; Java and Python are more used by corporations and international organizations than supported by the government or educational institutions; there are more Java programmers than Python programmers; the perceived usefulness is influenced by the perceived ease of use; the generality and the extensibility are intrinsic factors of programming languages which influence the perceived ease of use; the perceived ease of use influences the attitude toward the using of the programming language / A difus?o da Web impulsionou a dissemina??o de Sistemas de Informa??o (SI) baseados na Web. Para apoiar a implementa??o desses sistemas, diversas tecnologias surgiram ou evolu?ram com este prop?sito, dentre elas as linguagens de programa??o. O Modelo de Aceita??o de Tecnologia - TAM (Davis, 1986) foi concebido com o intuito de avaliar a aceita??o/uso de tecnologias da informa??o por seus usu?rios. V?rios estudos e aplica??es diversas t?m utilizado o TAM, no entanto, n?o foi encontrada na literatura men??o a utiliza??o de tal modelo com rela??o ao uso de linguagens de programa??o. Este estudo objetiva investigar que fatores influenciam o uso de linguagens de programa??o utilizadas no desenvolvimento de sistemas Web por parte de seus desenvolvedores, utilizando uma extens?o do TAM, proposta neste estudo. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa com desenvolvedores Web pertencentes a dois grupos do Yahoo: java-br e python-brasil, no qual foram respondidos, na ?ntegra, 26 question?rios Java e 39 Python. O question?rio tinha quest?es de car?ter geral e quest?es que mediam os fatores intr?nsecos e extr?nsecos das linguagens de programa??o, a utilidade percebida, a facilidade de uso percebida, a atitude sobre o uso e o uso da linguagem de programa??o. A maioria dos respondentes eram homens, com n?vel superior, idade entre 20 e 30 anos, atuando nas regi?es sudeste e sul. Do ponto de vista de seus objetivos, a pesquisa foi descritiva. Em rela??o ? forma de abordagem, quantitativa. Para a an?lise de dados foram utilizadas ferramentas estat?sticas, estat?stica descritiva, componentes principais e an?lise de regress?o linear m?ltipla. Os principais resultados da pesquisa foram: Java e Python possuem independ?ncia de m?quina, extensibilidade, generalidade e confian?a; Java e Python s?o mais utilizadas por corpora??es e organiza??es internacionais do que apoiadas pelo governo ou institui??es de ensino; h? mais programadores Java do que Python; a utilidade percebida ? influenciada pela facilidade de uso percebida; a generalidade e a extensibilidade s?o fatores intr?nsecos as linguagens de programa??o que influenciam a facilidade de uso percebida; a facilidade de uso percebida influencia a atitude em rela??o ao uso da linguagem de programa??o

Internal marketing and internal communication are essential tools to align em-ployees’ mindsets with the necessary tasks which bring about employee satis-faction and organisational prosperity. Electronic newsletters serve as an internal marketing communication medium which can convey the necessary information to employees regarding the organisation’s goals and objectives. They also act as a medium to build relationships with employees and encourage improved service delivery and customer-oriented employee mindsets. Employees’ willingness to make use of electronic newsletters for the purpose of disseminating organisational information is an indication of employees’ acceptance of the organisational information and use thereof in performing organisational tasks successfully as the organisation intends. The purpose of the current study was to determine employees’ acceptance of electronic newsletters, as an internal marketing communication medium, in order to disseminate organisational information which contributes to the attainment of organisational goals, objectives and success. An empirical study was conducted to determine employees’ acceptance of elec-tronic newsletters by means of an adapted technology acceptance model, self-administered, e-mail survey disseminated to employees of a higher education institution. The study followed a quantitative research approach, utilising re-gression in the analysis of the data. Based on the research results, employees do accept the electronic newsletter for the dissemination of organisational information, albeit with suggestions on how it can be better utilised in future. / Business Management / M. Com (Business Management)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-02T21:42:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thaisa Bechelli Yamanaka2.pdf: 1549749 bytes, checksum: 040f32a5a9d1704a5c0ae8060fc81262 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-25 / Several studies on the acceptance and use of information technology have been conducted by different conceptual models that seek to demonstrate the existence of factors that influence the intention and behavior of users on a particular information system. Some aspects that enhance the use of intentions can be essential for the individual to choose whether or not a particular technology. This study examined the background factors that can influence the intended use of the Virtual Library of an Institution of Higher Education. Among the conceptual models studying the adoption of information technology, it was decided in this study the use of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) proposed by Davis (1986). In this model the external variables were also added stimulus Professor and smoker in order to expand the power of explanation of the intended use of the users in question. Through a quantitative research approach, data were collected through a survey tool to obtain 406 questionnaires responses. The results of this research confirms that the influence of various factors positioned in different dimensions provide findings relevant to the adoption of virtual library. It concludes that the Teacher Incentive positively influences Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness and the Habit of undergraduate students on the intended use of the Virtual Library. Thus, it was found that the influence of the teacher becomes a determining factor in the use of virtual library intention, which emphasizes the importance of guidance and recommendation of teachers in the use of this technological tool. The study concluded that the perceived usefulness proved to be the factor that most influences the intention to use this technology because there is a perception that if the student will use the virtual library, you can improve your performance in studies, among others. The habit can also influence the adoption of a virtual library in parallel to perceptions about the benefits that can be obtained from the use of this technology. / Diversos estudos sobre a aceitação e o uso de tecnologias de informação têm sido realizados por diferentes modelos conceituais que buscam demonstrar a existência de fatores que influenciam a intenção e comportamento dos usuários sobre um determinado sistema de informação. Alguns aspectos que potencializam as intenções de uso podem ser fundamentais para que o indivíduo adote, ou não, uma determinada tecnologia. Este estudo analisou os fatores antecedentes que podem influenciar a intenção de uso da Biblioteca Virtual de uma Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES). Dentre os modelos conceituais que estudam a adoção de tecnologias de informação, optou-se nesta pesquisa pelo Modelo de Aceitação de Tecnologia (TAM) proposto por Davis (1986). Neste modelo ainda foram adicionadas as variáveis externas Estímulo Docente e Hábito a fim de ampliar o poder de explicação da intenção de uso dos usuários em questão. Através de uma abordagem de investigação quantitativa, os dados foram coletados por meio de um instrumento de pesquisa com obtenção de resposta de 406 questionários. Os resultados obtidos por esta pesquisa confirmam a influência de diversos fatores posicionados em diferentes dimensões e proporcionam conclusões relevantes à adoção da biblioteca virtual. Conclui-se que o Estímulo Docente influencia positivamente a Facilidade de Uso, Utilidade Percebida e o Habito dos alunos de graduação sobre a intenção de uso da Biblioteca Virtual. Com isso, constatou-se que a influência do professor torna-se um fator determinante na intenção de uso da biblioteca virtual, o que ressalta a importância da orientação e recomendação dos professores no uso desta ferramenta tecnológica. O estudo concluiu que a utilidade percebida revelou-se o fator que mais influencia a intenção de uso desta tecnologia, pois há a percepção de que, caso o aluno venha utilizar a biblioteca virtual, pode-se melhorar seu desempenho nos estudos, entre outros aspectos. O Hábito também pode influenciar à adoção da biblioteca virtual de forma paralela às percepções sobre os benefícios que podem ser obtidos com o uso desta tecnologia.