TAILIEUCHUNG - Approaches to improve teachers’ use of groupware

Teachers are confronted with groupware for various reasons. However, the teachers’ acceptance of many systems is afflicted. This paper identifies reasons for the refusal and presents approaches to improve the usage of groupware for teachers. On the basis of an empirical survey on an interschool groupware, we discover shortcomings of groupware and corresponding general conditions. In this context we focus on the offered utility and the embedding of groupware in schools. The results of the study show that the motivation of teachers to employ groupware can be improved by implementing specific organizational terms of use and by focussing the utility on document management. Nevertheless, adjustments in both mentioned directions have to be implemented with caution, since they exhibit critical points as well. | Knowledge Management E-Learning An International Journal . 271 Approaches to Improve Teachers Use of Groupware Stefan Bitzer Chair of Application Systems and E-Business University of Goettingen Germany E-mail sbitzer@ Marco Klein Chair of Application Systems and E-Business University of Goettingen Germany E-mail mklein@ Matthias Schumann Chair of Application Systems and E-Business University of Goettingen Germany E-mail mschuma 1 @uni-goettingen. de Corresponding author Abstract Teachers are confronted with groupware for various reasons. However the teachers acceptance of many systems is afflicted. This paper identifies reasons for the refusal and presents approaches to improve the usage of groupware for teachers. On the basis of an empirical survey on an interschool groupware we discover shortcomings of groupware and corresponding general conditions. In this context we focus on the offered utility and the embedding of groupware in schools. The results of the study show that the motivation of teachers to employ groupware can be improved by implementing specific organizational terms of use and by focussing the utility on document management. Nevertheless adjustments in both mentioned directions have to be implemented with caution since they exhibit critical points as well. Keywords Inter-School Groupware Empirical Survey Utility Organizational Terms of Use Biographical notes Stefan Bitzer is a research associate at the Chair of Application Systems and E-Business. Since 2006 he is part of the work group Knowledge and Education Management . In cooperation with industry partners such as Volkswagen and Siemens Energy he currently explores on knowledge management with Web . Marco Klein is a research associate at the Chair of Application Systems and EBusiness University of Goettingen. Since 2009 he is part of the work group Knowledge and Education Management . Currently he researches on IT-support of Human Resource Management

• Giáo dục học
• Approaches to improve teachers’
• Improve teachers’ use of groupware
• Empirical survey
• Organizational terms of use
• Inter school groupware