The purpose of this study was to examine female faculty members’ use of computer technologies, their attitudes toward computers, the factors that best predict their attitudes toward computers, and the barriers that limit their use of computer technologies in girls’ colleges in Dammam and Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Also, this study examined how female faculty members’ attitudes and use of computer technologies differ according to their demographic characteristics. 206 female faculty members participated in this study, and only 197 usable questionnaires were analyzed and used in this study. Descriptive statistics, a one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis were conducted to analyze the data. The findings of this study revealed that female faculty members had positive attitudes toward using computer technologies. Also, the results indicated that female faculty members had high levels of use of 3 common computer applications: e-mail, word processing, and the Internet. Furthermore, findings revealed that the barriers that significantly limit faculty members’ use of technology were lack of technical support, lack of effective training, lack of equipment and infrastructure, and lack of administrative support. The results revealed that the demographic variables that had an influence on female faculty members’ attitudes toward using computers were age, years of experience with computer technologies, subject taught, academic degree, access to a computer at the office, access to the Internet at the office, computer skill levels, and English language proficiency. The findings indicated that the demographic variables that had an impact on female faculty members’ use of computer technologies were age, teaching experience, years of experience with computer technologies, subject taught, access to the Internet at home, computer skill levels, and English language proficiency. The factors that best predict female faculty members’ attitudes toward computers were reduced course quality, lack of time, lack of collegial support, and lack of self confidence. This study presents several conclusions and recommendations to improve female faculty members’ use of computer technologies at girls’ colleges. Female faculty members need technical support services unit, more training, available equipments and infrastructure, more administrative support, and release time for learning about computer technologies to increase their use of computer technologies.

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This thesis investigates undergraduate experiences of studying within a blended learning environment at a UK university in the first decade of the 21st century. Blended learning in this context comprises the use of institutionally provided technologies including a university-wide managed learning environment, alongside campus-based classroom teaching to support student learning. The personal ownership of technologies and their importance for the student learning experience is also considered. The University of Hertfordshire has promoted itself as a ‘blended learning institution’ since 2005 and this study considers what blended learning means and how students use information technology to support their learning. The study approaches the student experience of blended learning by considering three constituent themes: the student, their HE study and their use of technology. The preliminary study for this work used student constructed reflective video and audio diaries over a period of 18 months. Subsequently a new conceptual framework was drawn up by the researcher. This provided a matrix structure with which to explore through interviews with students their uses of technology for learning, and the relationship with approaches to pedagogy. The analysis of the interviews has provided a snapshot of students’ experiences of pedagogy and technology use across their studies. A Venn diagram was used to explore the three themes and provide a representation of the extent to which technology is seen by students as a part of their everyday lives whether for study or leisure. The student experiences reported here demonstrated a high degree of dependence on technology overall in both their personal and study lives. Their preferences were for a learning environment which included both the taught campus–based experience and the opportunity for easy online access to materials and supplementary activities to support their studies twenty four hours a day. As the students reported on their ‘maturing’ as learners during the course of the study, they described increasingly sophisticated online searching strategies and independent approaches to their learning regardless of their personal pedagogic preferences. Garrison and Vaughan assert that the ‘ideal educational transaction is a collaborative constructivist process that has inquiry at its core’ (2008:14). The outcome of this study presents a more complex view of the student experience of pedagogy in Higher Education. While recent research has reported on the student experience of either technology or pedagogy, the unique contribution of this study is its consideration of both pedagogy and the use of information technology from the viewpoint of the student experience.

Implementations of information technology solutions to address specific information problems are only successful when the technology is utilized. The antecedents of technology use involve user, system, task and organization characteristics as well as externalities which can affect all of these entities. However, measurement of the interaction effects between these entities can act as a proxy for individual attribute values. A model is proposed which based upon evaluation of these interaction effects can predict technology utilization. This model was tested with systems being implemented at a pediatric health care facility. Results from this study provide insight into the relationship between the antecedents of technology utilization. Specifically, task time provided significant direct causal effects on utilization. Indirect causal effects were identified in task value and perceived utility constructs. Perceived utility, along with organizational support also provided direct causal effects on user satisfaction. Task value also impacted user satisfaction in an indirect fashion. Also, results provide a predictive model and taxonomy of variables which can be applied to predict or manipulate the likelihood of utilization for planned technology.

While information systems researchers have argued well from socio-technical and organizational culture perspectives that information technology (IT) and organizational structures are interdependent and continually reshape each other, few studies have sought fine-grained, micro-level explanations for the heterogeneity in IT use often observed across seemingly similar end users and seemingly similar work contexts. Using a nested comparative case study design, I explore electronic medical record (EMR) use by physicians in an integrated multi-specialty health care organization. I use multiple methods to observe and develop micro-level understandings of factors associated with EMR use. The study was conducted in eight practices operating within the same organization. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and questionnaires. A constant comparative approach guided data analysis. Differences in physician values were noted, as were differences in physician perspectives of uncertainty. I categorized physicians as high, medium and low EMR users depending on a variety of factors including degree to which the EMR was integrated into work practices, degree of feature use, and degree of EMR-enabled communication. Drawing on theories of professionalism, I explain between-physician heterogeneity in EMR use as partly a function of differences in dimensionality of professional values. Three dimensions of professional values were identified 1) profession-oriented, 2) patient-oriented and 3) organization-oriented. Drawing on complexity theory, I argue that differences in physician perspectives of uncertainty influence their EMR use. I found that physicians who viewed uncertainty primarily as reducible through information tended to be higher users of the EMR. Physicians who viewed uncertainty as fundamental, or inherent, in care delivery processes tended to be lower users of the EMR. This study contributes to information systems research by extending current understandings of IT use. The professional values held by physicians and their perspectives of uncertainty may be more important in shaping EMR use than previously thought. These findings indicate the need to more aggressively pursue EMR designs, implementation strategies and policies that accommodate these two additional factors. Additionally, findings from this research indicate a need for IT managers in professional settings to consider end-user professional values and perspectives of uncertainty in decisions involving IT assets. / text

xiii, 126 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The nexus of educational reforms and rapid technological changes poses challenges for teachers in deciding why, when, and to what extent they should integrate technology into the curriculum. This exploratory study analyzed 165 middle school mathematics teachers' responses to an online survey examining their pedagogical beliefs, training, and access to technology and the use of technology by students in the classroom. Multiple linear regression was used to test three different models to predict the frequency and type of technology use by students. In addition, responses to constructed-response questions on the survey provided qualitative data to further explore this topic. Findings indicate that the best model to predict frequency of students' technology use is one that includes access to computers in the classroom and the lab, and teacher training. This model accounted for 17% of the variance in frequency of use by students, with computer lab availability being the strongest predictor. The best model of how many types of technologies teachers reported their students using was a combination of teachers' training in technology and access to computers in the lab. Together, these two variables accounted for 9% of the variance in the number of different types of technologies teachers reported using with their students. Pedagogical beliefs were a non significant variable, but teachers reported changes in their teaching due to students' use of technology, which included instructional practices that are associated with both didactic and constructivist pedagogies. Implications of this study are that technology resources need to be more accessible, and teacher training in technology should be timely and appropriate to available resources and curricular objectives. In addition, if mandated computerized testing limits students' access to computer labs, resource planning should consider alternatives so that students can meet technology literacy goals. Limitations of the study are presented and suggestions for future research are included. / Committee in charge: Gerald Tindal, Chairperson, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Kathleen Scalise, Member, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Joanna Goode, Member, Teacher Education; Patricia Curtin, Outside Member, Journalism and Communication

This study investigated teacher perceptions of preparedness for implementing the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards/Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards (ELA CCSS/MCCRS) that require the use of technology. Participants included 101 ELA teachers in Mississippi from varying backgrounds and school sizes who responded to a survey via email. The survey was comprised of questions written in order to expand on professional development opportunities teachers have had available to them, technology that teachers have access to in their schools/districts, levels of self-efficacy teachers have with technology use, value assigned to technology in the classroom, and support that teachers have within their school/district for issues related to technology. Descriptive statistics, plots, and regression models are included to highlight factors that have an effect on the amount of technology teachers are or are not using in conjunction with the ELA CCSS/MCCRS. The findings revealed that teachers in Mississippi believe that the integration of technology into the ELA Standards is important, but they are not all equipped with the technology nor support needed in order to meet the standards in the way that they are written. The results also showed that although teachers do assign a high level of value to technology use in the classroom, this was not enough of an influence to inform the amount of technology implemented into their classrooms. The same was true for self-efficacy. Value and self-efficacy related to technology are integral for implementation, but if teachers are not supplied with the applicable technologies or appropriate professional development and support in order to utilize classroom technology, then they are not enough to affect implementation. Many areas such as availability and use of technology, teacher value and self-efficacy for technology, issues with professional development, educational policy, and additional research were informed by the results revealed in this study.