Effective Technological Implementation in Education Institutions Paper Example

Problem Statement

Literature is filled with studies that have endeavored to invent prescription for effective technological implementation (Calabro & Spina, 2014; Kandiri, 2014; and Doll & Oliveira, 2017). These remedies sought to address the high rate of failure in the implementation of technology within institutions of higher education. Studies have focused on ways of addressing existing challenges in the developing world through research. Technology assumes a key role and such studies view remedies to the many problems of these countries are attributed to the high rate of failure in the implementation of technology. Past implementation models have embraced a variance logic approach, which ignores the multifaceted nature of technological implementation. These challenges remain a major obstacle to research and individual characteristics alone cannot warrant successful implementation of technological innovation. Evidently, a success factor in one context may not be replicable to other contexts, and such a situation can only be explained by adopting a logic view. The study seeks to explore the determinants of successful implementation of technology in institutions of higher education.

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The above stated models embraced a variance logic approach to the implementation of technology. However, such an exogenous view ignores the multifaceted nature of technological implementation. According to Meran and Lunau (2013), in the models of organization theory as elucidated in Bhatiasevi and Naglis (2016), these studies have embraced exogenous variance logic perspective, indicating that that organizational culture, implementation practices and policies, top management, and financial availability as the top determinants of the success of implementation. However, despite these efforts, technological implementation remains to experience significant rates of failure. It means that individual characteristics alone cannot warrant successful implementation of technological innovation (Powner & United States, 2018). Evidently, a success factor in one context may not be replicable to other contexts, and such a situation can only be explained by adopting a logic view.

Purpose Statement

The study seeks to explore the determinants of successful implementation of technology in institutions of higher education. The study will be based on technology implementation projects drawn from public universities spread across different countries. The study will seek to examine the role of monitoring and evaluation to the successful implementation of technological innovation, as well as determine the impact of financial resource, organizational climate, organizational climate, project leadership, management style, and innovation efficacy on effective implementation of technology. The findings will help expose the underlying problems in technology implementation and provide recommendations of the possible remedies for the management of technology transfer and subsequent adoption among institutions of higher education, as well as across other sectors.

Nature of Study

The study will be exploratory in nature and based on a critical realist approach to address the issues that impact the effectiveness of technological implementation. Logistic regression will be used to establish factors that determine effective implementation of technology among institution of higher education. A questionnaire will be developed as the data collection instrument and responses will be analyzed based on thematic, theoretical analysis approach using SPSS. The variable items will be subjected to factor analysis through the use of the principal component method.

Research Method

The exploratory research will be qualitative in nature. It will seek to understand how monitoring and evaluation, financial resource, project leadership, top management and innovation efficacy contribute to effective implementation of technology in institutions of higher education (Bhatiasevi & Naglis, 2016). The approach will help gain insights on the underlying motivations, opinions and reasons to facilitate the development of hypothesis and ideas for the subsequent research. Individual interviews based on semi-structured questionnaires will be used to collect data from respondents. The data collected will be regressed to establish the interrelationship between variables.

The study will be based on technology implementation projects drawn from public universities spread across different countries. The study will seek to examine the role of monitoring and evaluation to the successful implementation of technological innovation, as well as determine the impact of financial resource, organizational climate, organizational climate, project leadership, management style, and innovation efficacy on effective implementation of technology.

The findings will help expose the underlying problems in technology implementation and provide recommendations of the possible remedies for the management of technology transfer and subsequent adoption among institutions of higher education, as well as across other sectors. The study will be exploratory in nature and based on a critical realist approach to address the issues that impact the effectiveness of technological implementation. Logistic regression will be used to establish factors that determine effective implementation of technology among institution of higher education. The variable items will be subjected to factor analysis through the use of the principal component method.

Qualitative Research Question

How do (a) monitoring and evaluation, (b) financial resource (c) project leadership (d) top management, and (e) innovation efficacy contribute to effective implementation of technology in institutions of higher education?

Hypotheses

Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no significant relationship between monitoring and evaluation, (b) financial resource (c) project leadership (d) top management, and (e) innovation efficacy and effectiveness of implementation of technology.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant relationship between monitoring and evaluation, (b) financial resource (c) project leadership (d) top management, and (e) innovation efficacy and effectiveness of implementation of technology.

Theoretical Framework

Klein et al. (2001), examined the adoption of computerized technology and developed a model. The study particularly explored manufacturing resource planning (MRP), software-aided management of manufacturing processes. The software aided in inventory control, production schedules, sales management, and supply management. The scholars assessed the implementation of the technology among nine plants in the pilot project with managers, supervisors, implementation teams, and users as the primary respondents in the study. The present study determined that a number of variables from work by Klein et al. (2001), as important and hence could be used as measures of computerized implementation of technology among institutions of higher education. The selected variables included finance resource availability, implementation practices, and policies, and management support. Klein et al. (2001), primarily depended on survey approach and examined only a single innovation and hence would not have captured every detail. It is an area that calls for further research to delimit the generalizability of the findings.

Significance of the Study

The exploration contributes to the following:

• Contributes to the development of a viable model to guide successful implementation of technology in institutions of higher education
• Is a scholarly contribution to the domain of information system (IS) in the respect of theory building and increasing the comprehension of the domain's social nature?
• The study contributes to stakeholder's understanding and effective management of technological innovations in challenging environments

References

Bhatiasevi, V., & Naglis, M. (2016). Investigating the structural relationship for the determinants of cloud computing adoption in education. Education and Information Technologies : the Official Journal of the Ifip Technical Committee on Education, 21, 5, 1197-1223.

Calabro, F., & Spina, L. D. (2014). New Metropolitan Perspectives: The integrated approach of urban sustainable development. International Symposium, May 6-8, 2014, Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Doll, C. & Oliveira, J. (2017). Urbanization and climate co-benefits: Implementation of win-win interventions in cities. London: Routledge.

Kandiri, J. M. (2014). Effective Implementation of Technology Innovations in Higher Education Institutions: A Survey of Selected Projects in African Universities. Nairobi: Kenyatta University.

Klein, K., Conn, A. B. & Sorra, J. S. (2001). Implementing computerized technology: An organizational analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(5), 811- 824

Meran, R., & Lunau, S. (2013). Six Sigma + Lean toolset: Mindset for successful implementation of improvement projects. Berlin: Springer.

Powner, D. A., & United States. (2018). Information technology: further implementation of recommendations is needed to better manage acquisitions and operations: Testimony before the Subcommittees on Government Operations and Information Technology, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Accountability Office.