2025 Theses Doctoral

Adoption and Diffusion of a Learning Management System as an Instructional Tool: A Community College Case Study

Amador, Armando Alberto

This case study investigated the adoption and diffusion of the Blackboard platform, a widely used Learning Management System (LMS), as an instructional tool within a community college setting. The study explored faculty members’ adoption patterns, perceptions, and factors influencing the utilization of the Blackboard platform, drawing on Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory and Chickering and Ehrman’s “Seven Principles: Technology as a Lever” as theoretical frameworks.

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted to gather insights from faculty members, capturing their usage patterns, perceptions of the Blackboard platform, and specific components and tools utilized when integrating the LMS into their courses. An overall theme emerged, where nonusers expressed agreement more than did users regarding their lack of exposure to the Blackboard platform, limited opportunities to observe its usage, and the inability to try it properly.

The study revealed that the majority of users employed various components of the Blackboard platform, including announcements, full grade center, course copy, tests, surveys, pools, and discussion boards. However, other components such as export/achieve course, dashboard, import course cartridge, course calendar, course report, and journal were employed by fewer faculty members. These components have the potential to enhance communication between faculty and students.

The study’s findings highlight the need for targeted professional development activities to address the concerns of nonusers and encourage the adoption and utilization of the Blackboard platform. The limitations of the study suggest the importance of a comprehensive research design to fully grasp the complexities and factors influencing the adoption of learning management systems in community college settings. The recommendations derived from this research contribute to a better understanding of the adoption and use of learning management systems as instructional tools, emphasizing the significance of user satisfaction, effective strategies for promoting adoption, and implications for faculty training and institutional strategies.