Lorraine Sherry

Adoption Factors and Processes

As individuals and organizations complete the process of adopting new technologies to support learning, a number of factors come into play — including the technology’s design and usability; the fit with local culture and practices; the associated costs; and the expected benefits of adoption. Some factors are about the technology, others about the prospective user, still others about the local context of use. In addition to descriptions of factors and users, researchers have identified stages and repeating patterns that shape the adoption process. This chapter reviews these various factors and processes with an emphasis on school and university settings. We conclude with a reminder that adoption of technology depends on shared negotiation of values and priorities.

A model computer simulation as an epistemic game

In the 1980s, psychologists began to investigate the construction of knowledge through general purpose strategies. They found that the art and science of computer programming was often aided by the use of visualizations, simulations, and interactive systems. Ackerman and Stelovsky (1986) define such an interactive system as a supporting tool which helps students with the transition process between their intuitive reality or mental models, and the external reality of data processing with accurate specifications.

Internet and World Wide Web usage in an institution of higher learning

This paper reports the results of a five-year case study of the use of online tools: Internet, e-mail, and the WWW in a Graduate School of Education at an urban university located on a commuter campus. The conceptual framework was independently developed, but because of the striking parallel with activity theory, activity theory became the overall framework for interpreting findings. Ten research questions were investigated using a survey repeated in 1995 and 1997; interviews of faculty, staff, and students; a focus group; and an analysis of electronic artifacts. There were four principal findings. Self-efficacy perceived value persisted across time and across programs as success facilitators. Personal/cultural compatibility, rather than time, separated earlier from later adopters. “Finding a voice and having something to say,” a factor identified under various names by other researchers, posed a challenge for students and faculty alike. Users valued personal scaffolding but had individual preferences concerning specific types of scaffolding. The study resulted in a set of recommendations, some of which have now been implemented. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: <getinfo@haworthpressinc.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com>