Perceived Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Impacting the Diffusion of Distance Education Technologies in a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with using distance education (DE) technologies in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University from the perspective of administrators, faculty, and professional support staff. Rogers ' Diffusion of Innovation (1995) served as the theoretical underpinnings for the study. Qualitative research (naturalistic inquiry) was employed and the constant comparative method was used for data analysis (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Analysis revealed that respondents perceived various organizational strengths and recognized the opportunity to utilize DE technologies to improve instruction and reach new audiences through collaboration and new courses/programs. A need was expressed to expand policies/procedures to address critical issues (i.e., incentives, support, training, quality control, careers, and communication channels). Competition, dependency on outside assistance, and misinformation on the Internet were perceived as organizational threats. Based on Rogers ' attributes (1995), the rate of adoption of DE technologies could be enhanced through revised policies/procedures and the development of strategies to address critical issues. (Vision 2020, p. 5). This vision includes advances in information technology strategies and infrastructure, to "increase to 50 percent the proportion of the master's population enrolled in distance and other non-traditional master's offerings" (p. 24). As these programs are implemented, the determination of administrative, faculty, and professional support staff perceptions, concerns, and interests regarding distance education (DE) technologies will be crucial. This understanding can facilitate the diffision of DE

Social Presence, Social Interaction, Collaborative Learning, and Satisfaction in Online and Face-to-Face Courses

“…Researchers have studied a sundry of topics related to distance education. Agriculture educators began their approach to understanding online learning by first identifying opportunities and obstacles related to online learning (Miller, 1995;Murphy & Terry, 1998;Murphrey & Dooley, 2000). Similar to other disciplines, agriculture educators also compared on-and off-campus courses (Miller & Shih, 1999;Miller & Pilcher, 2001;Moore & Wilson, 2005) and identified relevant educational technologies that would support online learners (Murphy & Terry, 1998, Murphy, 1999Dooley & Murphy, 2001).…”

Journal of Applied Communications vol. 96(3) Full Issue

“…Tu (2002) found that participants felt more social presence when teachers supported a positive attitude about keyboarding skills and gave special attention to students who needed to further develop their skills. In addition, Murphrey and Dooley (2000) suggest that a "virtual presence" be provided for online learners (p. 49). Thus, it is important for online teachers and moderators to practice techniques that support social presence (Tu, 2002).…”

Examining iPod Use by Texas Agricultural Science and Technology Teachers

“…Barriers to using instructional technologies have been examined by multiple researchers (Berge, Muilenburg, & Haneghan, 2002;Gammill & Newman, 2005;Murphrey & Dooley, 2000;Nelson & Thompson, 2005). Barriers often include lack of release time to develop instructional materials for delivery using technology, lack of administrative support and incentives, and lack of skill and expertise to develop materials.…”