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isk that goes along with new ventures.
CLTT also had the ability to use mass channels
of communication, that is, faculty listserves.
This avenue was not used
effectively and the emphasis was placed
on the early adopters as the driving force
for the diffusion process.
When examining communication
through channels, Huckman (2003) found
that individuals who were perceived as
having a high level of technology expertise
exerted significant influence on the technology
adoption of their peers. In the medical
field, for example, pharmaceutical
companies target opinion leaders as the
optimal means of diffusing the adoption of
the technology through the community of
practice.
The notion of expert power is embedded
in the academic community of practice.
Burke, Fournier, and Prasad (2007)
define expert power as the influence that
an individual exerts on others due to their
perceived superiority of knowledge or
ability. Rogers (1995) acknowledged that
diffusion occurs among participants that
are most likely heterophilous—the degree
to which individuals have different
attributes. In academe, most faculty are
fairly homophilous or similar in education
and socioeconomic status. However, the
distinction of achieved expertise is where
the clear boundaries are drawn amongst
faculty members.
In this case, one of the faculty members
who was recruited was a new faculty member
and not well known on the campus,
while the other was a senior faculty member.
The senior faculty member would be
considered more influential in terms of perceived
expertise due to her formal position
in the system. Based on this, it would be
expedient to target those individuals who
have senior status and are viewed by their
peers to be fairly technologically savvy.
The hierarchy of position should not be
the only consideration in recruiting early
adopters. There are individuals who are
early adopters but who operate outside of
a communication network. These individuals
may have a limited interpersonal network
and prefer to quietly experiment
with the innovation to test for results.
However, early adopters who have a broad
interpersonal network and are respected
by their peers should be recruited. The
foundation for the diffusion process relies
on these early adopters and the communication
of the message throughout the
social system to others. Therefore, it is
important for the facilitator of the diffusion
process to distinguish between an early
adopter who can move the adoption rate
forward and the early adopter who brings
it to a standstill.
SOCIAL SYSTEM
Communication occurs within a social
structure where norms and roles of opinion
leaders affect the diffusion process
(Rogers, 2005). The norms for the higher
education system are moving from a paradigm
of traditional approaches to teaching
and learning to integrating new models
that use technology for curriculum delivery.
Offering fully online and blended
learning opportunities is a strategic direction
for most colleges and universities
(Sloan Consortium, 2006).
Opinion leadership occurs beyond the
individual level to an organizational level
and is diffused throughout organizational
networks. The Sloan Consortium is an
example of organizational leadership in
the diffusion of online programming.
When adopting a new technology for a
particular campus it is useful to identify
other organizations that use the same technology.
Aligning the campus strategy with
acknowledged organizational opinion
leaders should be made explicit in the marketing
of the technology.
This aspect was neglected in this particular
case. However, the advantages of
using this strategy are clear. Universities
tend to be risk-aversive and are cautious
when forging into new arenas for educa-
52 Distance Learning Volume 4, Issue 4