Barriers to adopting technology for teaching and learning in Oman

Abstract

This study investigates the perceived barriers to adopting information and communication technologies (ICT) in Omani higher education. One hundred faculty members from four different departments at the College of Applied Sciences in Oman participated in the study. The participants took a survey, which was developed based on the Western literature. Five factors were extracted from the survey: lack of equipment, lack of institutional support, disbelief of ICT benefits, lack of confidence, and lack of time. The findings showed that the faculty members perceived moderate degrees of barriers in applying ICT to their teaching practices. Group differences based on gender, academic rank, and academic field were generally not found except for the interaction effects on the barriers related to lack of equipment, disbelief of ICT benefits, and the overall mean. Male faculty members with less usage of ICT perceived more barriers regarding the lack of computing equipment, disbeliefs of ICT benefits, and the overall barrier than the female counterparts. It is recommended that the survey be further refined to include more subtle and culturally relevant items, larger sample sizes, and more heterogeneous samples to validate and extend the findings. Important implications of this study include a need to provide more institutional support, technical training, and personal time for faculty members to learn and upgrade their knowledge and skills in educational technologies.