How ready are our students for technology-enhanced learning? Students at a university of technology respond

Abstract

This study focused on perceived technology knowledge and acceptance of Iranian university students. Survey data were collected from 215 freshmen students of 12 majors from a state university of technology in Tehran, Iran. The survey was comprised of 29 items arranged into two scales, namely technology knowledge and technology acceptance (with three sub-scales: perceived technology self-efficacy, ease of use, and usefulness) as the dependent variables. Descriptive and MANOVA analyses were conducted to explore participants’ perception towards these factors, the possible impact of gender, computer ownership, and major of study as independent variables on technology knowledge and acceptance, and the correlation between the dependent variables. The majority of participants perceived themselves as novice or slightly-better-than-novice users of technology. While the results yielded a generally positive technology self-efficacy, the respondents appeared largely uncertain about usefulness and ease of use of technology. The findings supported that male participants demonstrated more self-efficacy towards technology compared to the females. A statistically significant difference was found in technology knowledge of respondents majoring at computer engineering with the rest of the participants. Further, students with a personal computer demonstrated higher levels of technology knowledge and perceived technology easy to use. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients indicated that technology knowledge positively correlated with the three constructs of technology acceptance. Addressing students’ technology proficiency and acceptance is a critical step for designing and/or redefining technology-enhanced courses and programs.