An Exploration Of Institutional Drivers Of Technology Enhanced Learning Adoption By Faculty At Colleges Of Pharmacy

Abstract

The growing availability of technology-based tools and methods to support learning have challenged traditional norms at institutions of higher education. Colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States operate under the expectation of delivering degree programs via contemporary and evidenced based instructional methods. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore factors that may influence the adoption of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) at colleges and schools of pharmacy, as perceived by faculty. Leaders at colleges of pharmacy may use the information obtained from this study to better support the adoption of TEL at their institutions. A quantitative and exploratory survey design was used in this study. An instrument designed to identify the most important drivers affecting TEL adoption in the perceptions of pharmacy faculty was developed for this study. The study findings are based on 504 usable survey responses from pharmacy faculty members whose emails were obtained from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The survey was distributed through the Qualtrics online survey system in November and December of 2017.

Five categories of items influencing adoption of TEL in the perceptions of pharmacy faculty were identified. These categories include (a) support, (b) leadership and expectations, (c) funding and compensation, (d) technical reliability and availability, and (e) awareness. Items related to technical infrastructure (technical reliability, availability, and support) were consistently of highest importance to pharmacy faculty in regards to TEL adoption. Beyond items related to technical infrastructure, the sharing of TEL implementation success from colleagues was of greatest influence. The results of this study point towards a variety of avenues for future research. These include conducting a similar study focused on specific instructional methods supported by TEL, conducting a qualitative study to explore the same research questions, and an examination of why females as compared to males consistently rated items of potential influence higher.