Volume Two - Academic Conferences

Novita Yulianti et al.
Research conducted at German universities finds that only one-third of the teaching staff already offer
eLearning courses, with 40 percent of those who complete such a course expressing that they will do
so again (Rosenboom, n.d.). Technology development tends to outreach critical thinking and
pedagogical design in universities, and the sustainable integration of eLearning into higher education
remains a major challenge (Schneckenberg, 2009).
Moreover, it is found that most of students stated that their teachers use eLearning service only for
basic activity such as file upload and download, though many services are offered. This result is
based on a study on students’ feedbacks in early stage of this research by an eLearning service unit,
which is aimed to evaluate the use of eLearning services. It seems that the academic staff do not
apply eLearning tools to design their teaching and learning activities.
2.2 Academic staff as a key factor
Academic staff are identified as playing a major role in the adoption of eLearning in higher education.
As in the traditional frame of teaching, academic staff are the gatekeepers of research and teaching in
higher education. Academic staff define the content of teaching and carry out teaching and
examination of teaching results (Kerres, 2005; Schneckenberg, 2009). Individual perception and
faculty culture also play a main role in the acceptance or rejection of eLearning practice. Academic
staff express concern regarding online education. In particular, they believe that in the future online
dialogues will replace face-to-face interaction.
The motivation and competence of teaching staff regarding the use of eLearning plays a leading role
in the spread of eLearning. Several studies show that the slow adoption of eLearning in higher
education is caused by an adequate level of competence of the majority of academic staff (Kerres,
2005; Werner, 2006; Schmahl, 2008, Schneckenberg, 2009). The development of competence will
have a high impact on faculty behavior only if it is complemented by additional institutional measures
which influence the motivational level of academic staff (Schmahl, 2008). Additionally, the structural
characteristics of higher education as well as cultural barriers are also becoming the underlying
problem for the wider adoption of eLearning and other educational innovations in higher education
(Schneckenberg, 2009).
3. Impact of teaching style on technology implementation
Academic staff develop a teaching style based on their beliefs about what constitutes good teaching,
personal preferences, their abilities, and the norms of their particular discipline. There are different
approaches to teaching depending on the academic discipline, class size, and the individual
preferences of the academic staff. Most teachers teach the way they learn (Brown, 2003). Since many
teachers experience academic success in learning environments that are teacher-centric and rely
heavily on lecturing, it is comprehensible that their preferred style of teaching, at least initially, will be
to repeat what work for them. The way in which any method, whether lecture- or game-, problembased
learning or discussion is used within a learning practice is the choice of the educators and
should be a reflection of their philosophy (Brown, 2003).
It seems that the teaching style of academic staff could be one aspect that influences the adoption of
eLearning services. Therefore, it will be valuable to consider the teaching style of academic staff
when designing eLearning services so that the academic staff can choose the appropriate services
that are most suited to their preference.
4. Result and discussion
In order to gain a better understanding of the aspect that encourages academic staff to integrate
eLearning services into their courses, as well as aspects that hinder the widespread implementation
of eLearning services, a preliminary study is carried out by interviewing experts in an eLearning
service unit. It appears that a need to solve the problems faced in day-to-day teaching practice is one
of the motivating factors for the integration of eLearning services. This factor promotes the use of
eLearning services, especially when the offered service fits the needs of the academic staff. In
addition, the curiosity of academic staff in working with the new practices, which they believe can
support their teaching practices, as well as the initiative to fulfill students’ needs have prompted the
staff to use the offered services.
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