Integrating ICT Into higher education: onsite and online students’ perceptions in a large vs a small university

For the past two decades, information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed the ways professors teach and students learn. This paper aims to compare the perceptions of onsite students (blended mode) and of those taking the same courses on the Internet (online mode) in a large vs a small university. To guide the studies, a moderatortype theoretical research model was developed, out of which eight hypotheses were formulated. The model was tested in a field experiment in two universities located in two different countries in Canada: a large university with an enrollment of 48,000 students and a small university with an enrollment of 4,000 students. To collect data, we used a multimethod approach, that is, a Web survey involving open- and closed-ended questions. The samples were formed of 313 onsite and online students from the large university and of 192 onsite and online students from the small university. The quantitative data analysis was performed using a structural equation modeling software, that is, Partial Least Squares (PLS); the qualitative data were analyzed following a thematic structure using QSR NVivo software. In this paper we present a comparison between the two universities of the quantitative results (closed-ended questions) supported and enriched by the qualitative results of the students (open-ended questions)

Using a moderator-type research model to identify the determining factors in satisfaction of using high speed internet in household

Telecommunications industry is continually in a shift of change, alimented by technological innovation and consumers’ demand for always better and faster communication tools. High speed Internet is now an integral part of everyday life of more than a billion people. And, as the tendency is showing up, its use will be still increasing in the future. Thus, this technology has and will continue to have major social and economic impacts. Individual adoption of technology has been studied extensively in the workplace, but far less attention has been paid to adoption of technology in household (Brown & Venkatesh, 2005). So, few studies have been conducted until now to verify satisfaction of household people using high speed Internet. The aim of this study is then to investigate the determining factors in satisfaction of using high speed Internet by people in household. On the basis of the moderator-type research model developed by Brown and Venkatesh (2005) to verify the determining factors in intention to adopt a personal computer in household by American people, this study examines the determining factors in satisfaction of using high speed Internet in household by Canadian people. The methodology followed to conduct the study was the telephone survey research. Data were collected from 322 randomly selected Atlantic Canadian people using high speed Internet at home. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling software Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results got revealed that near from half of the variables examined in the study showed to be determining factors in satisfaction of using high speed Internet by people in household

Using UTAUT to identify the influencing factors on the use of ERP systems in medium- to large-sized Canadian enterprises

Individual acceptance and use of new technologies has been studied extensively over the last two decades. And, as more and more organizations move from functional to process-based information technology (IT) infrastructure and that enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are becoming one of today’s most widespread IT solutions to this movement, the research literature on ERP systems has exponentially grown in recent years. Effectively, the importance of the ERP industry to the professional information systems (IS) community is further underscored by projections indicating that it will be a $47.7 billion industry by 2011 (Jacobson et al., 2007). To study acceptance and use of ERP systems by enterprises and their employees, several models of technology adoption are used, including the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1989), its successor the TAM2 (Venkatesh & Davis, 2000), a combination of TAM2 and the model of determinants of perceived ease of use, that is TAM3 (Venkatesh & Bala, 2008), as well as the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003). But, at our knowledge, acceptance and use of ERP systems has not been yet studied in medium- to large-sized Canadian enterprises. The aim of this study is then to fill this gap. Using UTAUT model, we gathered the feelings of middle managers and end-users in six medium- to large-sized enterprises from three Canadian countries in order to identify the influencing factors on their use of ERP systems. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling software Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results got highlight the key role of three independent variables (facilitating conditions, anxiety, and behavioral intention) and a moderator variable (age) of UTAUT model as influencing factors on the use of ERP systems in medium- to large-sized Canadian enterprises. The independent variable social influence can also play a less significant role (at p < 0.10) on the use of ERP systems

Improving municipal information and knowledge management capabilities: case study

This study aims to better understand the process of knowledge management capabilities (KMC) development at the municipal context to assess its impact on organizational performance. This process is a part of organisational learning school that promotes organizational learning processes and knowledge accumulation that could be spread in time and in different levels of maturity. Thus, using the KMC maturity model (KMCMM) which has five levels of maturity, this study helps to better understand the phenomenon of KMC in the municipal context

The influencing factors of using a mobile phone in Cameroon

Individual adoption of technology has been studied extensively in the workplace, but far less attention has been paid to adoption of technology in the household (Brown & Venkatesh, 2005). Obviously, the mobile phone is now integrated into our daily life. Indeed, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments grew about 1% annually to reach 362 million units in the second quarter of 2012 (Business Wire, 2012), that is, more than 1.5 billion units will be sold this year. In addition, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) inventoried 4.6 billion subscriptions in 2010, from which 57% come from the developing countries. The purpose of this study is to investigate the determining factors that make people around the world use the mobile phone. On the basis of the moderator-type research model developed by Brown and Venkatesh (2005) to verify the determining factors in intention to adopt a computer in the household by American people, this study examines the determining factors in the use of mobile phone in household by Cameroonian people. Data were randomly gathered from 505 Cameroonian people (from Yaounde and Douala; the two more important cities in Cameroon) who own a mobile phone. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling software Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results revealed that half of the variables examined in the study were found to be determining factors in the use of mobile phone by Cameroonian people

Assessing KM capabilities in two African healthcare organizations: case study

Cette étude vise à mieux comprendre le processus de développement des capacités organisationnelles spécifiques à la gestion des connaissances (COSGC) dans le contexte des organisations de santé. Ce processus s’inscrit dans le cadre de l’école d’apprentissage (Cyert & March, 1963 ; Nelson & Winter, 1982 ; Burgelman, 1988 ; Cohen & Levinthal, 1990) qui favorise un processus d’apprentissage organisationnel et d’accumulation des connaissances pouvant s’étaler dans le temps et en plusieurs niveaux de maturité. Ainsi, à l’aide du modèle de maturité des COSGC qui présente cinq niveaux de maturité (Booto Ekionea, 2008), cette étude présente un diagnostic des COSGC de deux centres hospitaliers de l’Afrique subsaharienne. Enfin, soulignons que les conclusions de cette étude ne constituent pas une recherche quantitative, mais bien une étude qualitative qui vise la compréhension du phénomène de éveloppement des capacités organisationnelles spécifiques à la gestion des connaissances (COSGC), dans un contexte particulier, à l’aide de l’étude de cas

Testing an extension to the model of acceptance of technology in household with undergraduate and graduate students of four universities in three global countries

Individual adoption of technology has been studied extensively in the workplace, but far less attention has been paid to adoption of technology in the household (Brown & Venkatesh, 2005). Obviously, mobile phone is now integrated into our daily life. Indeed, according to International Data Corporation (IDC), the market reached 1.472 billion mobile phones sold in the world in 2017 (ZDNet, 2018). In addition, according to Statista, there was 4.77 billion mobile phone users worldwide in 2017 while the population was reaching 7.6 billion people, and there will be 5.07 billion mobile phone users worldwide by 2019 (Statista, 2018). The purpose of this study is then to pursue the investigation on the determining factors that make such people around the world are so using the mobile phone. On the basis of the model of acceptance of technology in household (MATH) developed by Brown and Venkatesh (2005) to verify the determining factors in intention to adopt a computer in household by American people, this study extends this moderator-type research model to examine the determining factors in the use of mobile phone in household by undergraduate and graduate students from four universities within three countries over the world. Data were randomly gathered from 750 undergraduate and graduate students from Yaounde in Cameroon, Kinshasa in Congo, and New Brunswick in Canada who own a mobile phone. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling software Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results revealed, among others, that two-third of the variables examined in the study, including the three new variables we added to the Brown and Venkatesh’s research model, showed to be determining factors in the use of mobile phone by undergraduate and graduate students

Electrophysiological evidence for an early processing of human voices

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous electrophysiological studies have identified a "voice specific response" (VSR) peaking around 320 ms after stimulus onset, a latency markedly longer than the 70 ms needed to discriminate living from non-living sound sources and the 150 ms to 200 ms needed for the processing of voice paralinguistic qualities. In the present study, we investigated whether an early electrophysiological difference between voice and non-voice stimuli could be observed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ERPs were recorded from 32 healthy volunteers who listened to 200 ms long stimuli from three sound categories - voices, bird songs and environmental sounds - whilst performing a pure-tone detection task. ERP analyses revealed voice/non-voice amplitude differences emerging as early as 164 ms post stimulus onset and peaking around 200 ms on fronto-temporal (positivity) and occipital (negativity) electrodes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our electrophysiological results suggest a rapid brain discrimination of sounds of voice, termed the "fronto-temporal positivity to voices" (FTPV), at latencies comparable to the well-known face-preferential N170.</p