Innovation Adoption and Diffusion of Virtual Laboratories

Abstract

<p class="Title1" align="left">Educational technology such as Virtual laboratories (VLs) are being perceived as sustainable solutions to growing concerns related to laboratory skill training i.e. delivering quality laboratory education to a large number of students due to shortage of infrastructure and access especially in developing nations. With these VLs being an innovation for engineering education, the study of its diffusion in higher educational institutions is critical for gauging its impact. This study examines the five variables of Rogers Diffusion of Innovations theory in determining how VLs have changed or modified users through its adoption. The involvement of early adopters participating through a program called Nodal centers and their innovation decision stages are addressed. The study also analyzed the change agents as the nodal centers for diffusing the innovation in teaching and learning processes. Virtual laboratory adoption by users (n=43600) over 30 months was surveyed and factors of diffusion were reported. Similar scoring in assessment factors suggested relative advantage, technology acceptance, intention of use and relevance of trialability were pertinent in users' perception of VLs. Social hubs among higher education institutions promoted early adoption through better engagement of students.</p>

Adoption of virtual reality technology in higher education: An evaluation of five teaching semesters in a purpose-designed laboratory

“…Virtual and augmented reality (VAR) technology is one of the most ground-breaking technologies of this century, and higher education is in the early stages of adopting the innovative technology as a teaching tool (Achuthan et al, 2020;Grivokostopoulou et al, 2020). The up-take has been led by science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, on the back of rapid industry demand for workforces of the future (Hernandez-de-Menendez et al, 2020;Kaminska et al, 2019).…”

“…Adoption of technology innovations in education has been described using a number of frameworks, including Roger's innovation diffusion theory (Straub, 2009). For virtual laboratories important factors for adoption have been identified as; technology acceptance, relative advantage, intention of use and trialability (Achuthan et al, 2020). Trialability is positively correlated with the rates of innovation adoption as it allows the user to experience and experiment with the technology firsthand (Rogers, 1995).…”

Impact of Integrated E-learning: Traditional Approach to Teaching Engineering Perspective Courses

“…the providing of qualitative practical education to a large number of students due to the lack of resources and accessibility, especially in developing countries. The evaluation of its distribution in higher education institutions is important for evaluating its effect, with these virtual environments becoming an advancement for engineering education [31]. Hence, the latest virtual technologies and simulation programs were used in explaining the techniques of the proposed engineering perspective course, which develop the students' imagination, and, in turn, facilitate students' understanding more smoothly and clearly.…”

Acquisition and User Behavior in Online Science Laboratories before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This is especially true in core science and medicine [19]. In general, virtual laboratories are accepted as a viable alternative to traditional labs in imparting practical skills to students and professionals and have a positive effect on students' learning process [11,[20][21][22]. Virtual learning has also gained greater acceptance, especially among STEM students.…”