Identifying relevance of security, privacy, trust, and adoption dimensions concerning cloud computing applications employed in educational settings

Abstract

Cloud computing applications are nowadays commonly used in various aspects of human endeavour, and the education is no exception. Although cloud computing applications bring numerous advantages, their adoption could be significantly reduced due to users’ concerns related to security, privacy, and trust. This paper introduces a research framework that captures the essence of security, privacy, trust, and adoption in the context of cloud computing applications when used in educational environment. Drawing on an extensive literature review, a finite set of items was determined and consequently employed for the design of the measuring instrument in the form of a post-use questionnaire. With an aim to examine psychometric features of the measuring instrument, an empirical study was carried out. Participants in the study were students from two higher education institutions who employed cloud-based applications for the purpose of creating, sharing, and organizing educational artefacts. Study findings helped us determine the relevance of security, privacy, trust, and adoption dimensions in the context of cloud computing applications as perceived by users who apply them for educational purposes.