Abstract
The purpose of this case study is to investigate and understand the perceived attributes of Wi-Fi technology and the diffusion gap among university faculty members. Rogers’ diffusion theory provides the theoretical framework to guide the qualitative study.
Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The participants were 16 faculty members (nine adopters and seven non-adopters) from six colleges at a midwestern state university. Findings from this study show the differences between early adopters and non-adopters (the mainstream) in these aspects: knowledge and skill of technology, teaching practices, teaching philosophy, and technology needs. These different perceptions toward Wi-Fi technology lead to diffusion “gap” between early adopters and the mainstream.
This diffusion gap implies that a different support infrastructure is needed for mainstream faculty to integrate technology for teaching and learning. An institution needs to act as a change agent to promote further technology adoption by the mainstream faculty.
DOI
10.17705/1CAIS.02405
Recommended Citation
Lu, Y., Quan, J., & Cao, X. (2009). The Perceived Attributes of Wi-Fi Technology and the Diffusion Gap among University Faculty Members: A Case Study. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 24, pp-pp. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.02405
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