The Influence of Epistemological Beliefs, Pedagogical Approaches, and Course Delivery Mode on Faculty Use of Learning Management Systems in Higher Education
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2021
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Abstract
This dissertation describes the impacts that higher education faculty members’ epistemological beliefs, pedagogical approaches, and the course delivery mode of what they teach has on their use of learning management systems (LMSs). Specifically, this research reflects on how these constructs impact how often tools within the LMS, Blackboard Learn, are used, how they are being used by faculty members and why faculty members choose to use the tools they use. This study begins with an affordance analysis of Blackboard Learn to determine the pedagogical affordances that the tools within it provide for faculty. Additionally, the author conducted a literature review inclusive of how LMSs were currently being used by instructors, factors that were influencing the use of LMSs, and how epistemological beliefs, pedagogical approaches, and course delivery modes were previously found to impact technology and/or LMS use. This was a mixed methods research study including data collection from a survey, followed by focus groups. The findings from this study are discussed at length in this paper.