Within the context of technological development, the needs and preferences of the
21st century student (Generation Y), the changing higher education environment, the
increasing use of technology in teaching and learning, and the significant role of
online learning facilitators in e-learning, the e-readiness of academic employees
became imperative. Thus, considering the importance of academic employees' e-readiness, the primary objective of the study aims to determine the role of key
human factors in their e-readiness, with specific focus on personal work profile
patterns, preferred learning style and pace and style of technology adoption. The
research problem therefore is how to determine the role of these key human factors
in the e-readiness of academic employees.
In this respect the study argues that the e-readiness assessment of academic
employees must be included in the human resource performance appraisal process.
The purpose of this research is to develop a framework for assessing the ereadiness of academic employees during their performance appraisals, as well as
determining and assessing the role of key human factors in their e-readiness in order
to draft an e-profile which will provide guidance in terms of structuring unique training
and development approaches for each e-profile. Once accademic employees' e-readiness has been assessed during their performance appraisals, they can be
plotted on the framework. The outcome of their e-readiness assessments will reveal
their e-profiles, which will portray insight into the presence or absence of particular ereadiness indicators, outlined in an e-readiness construct. Subsequently, a personal
development plan can be drafted, making provision for uniquely structured training and development interventions, best suited for each accademic employees' e-profile.
The most suitable motivating factors for each employee will also be considered
during the drafting of the personal development plan.
The empirical research by means of a self-administered questionnaire and a focus
group discussion revealed two prominent e-profiles indicating various levels of ereadiness, namely an early adopter-pragmatist-compliance e-profile and an early
majority-theorist-steadiness e-profile. The findings made it evident that the traits
portrayed by a person belonging to a certain technology adoption category show
similarities to traits portrayed by particular learning styles and personal work profile
patterns. Certain profiles could be identified, based on trends and similarities
pertaining to interpersonal traits. The findings further revealed that with an increase
in age and teaching experience of respondents (which also imply an increase in
age), the willingness to be assessed on e-readiness declined.
It was also determined that the human resource performance management policies
and practices at the North-West University (NWU) (which is used as case study), do
not make provision for the inclusion of e-readiness in performance appraisals of
academic employees. Further it became evident that training and development
interventions should not only focus on the technical skill of e-learning, but follow a
broader teaching and learning approach, also including the philosophy of e-learning
and the use and adaptation of teaching and learning strategies to obtain optimal
learner learning. The findings of the study thus supported the need for a framework,
providing guidance in this regard.
Presently, neither the literature of human resource performance appraisal nor the
literature of e-readiness or e-learning makes provision for assessing the e-readiness
of academic employees. The study thus contributes to the scholarly discourse and
knowledge in the field of public human resource management, as sub-field of Public
Administration, by developing a theoretical framework (that currently does not exist),
consisting of three matrixes for this purpose to determine the role of the key human
factors in the e-readiness of academic employees. / Public Administration and Management / D. Litt. et Phil. (Public Administration)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/5680 |
| Date | 06 1900 |
| Creators | Vermeulen, Luni |
| Contributors | Wessels, J.S. (Prof.), Malefane, S.R. (Prof.) |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (xiii, 438 leaves : ill.) |
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