The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes toward internet-based distance education by the faculty members of two Jordanian public universities, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University and Yarmouk University, as well as to explore the relationship between their attitudes toward internet-based distance education and their perceptions of their level of computer and internet access, their readiness for time commitments required for internet based distance education, level of institutional support, their level of computer and internet skills, and their perceived value of internet-based distance education. The study used Marcus's theoretical model of adoption to serve as theoretical framework.
The study was mainly a quantitative study that employed survey methodology, supplemented by interviews. Quantitative data were collected with an online questionnaire. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The results of the quantitative analysis were followed up with collecting qualitative data using short phone interviews. The qualitative date was analyzed using typological analysis. A total of 121 responses were used in the quantitative analysis, while a total number of six interview responses were used in the qualitative analysis.
Results from both quantitative and qualitative data indicated that faculty members tended to have moderately favorable attitudes toward internet-based distance education. The respondents' mean score was 3.5 (SD = 0.67), on a 5-point scale ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5). The correlation analysis showed there was significant positive correlation between faculty members' attitudes toward internet-based distance education and four independent variables: (a) computer and internet access, (b) time commitments, (c) computer and internet skills, and (d) perceived value. There was negative correlation between faculty members' attitudes toward internet-based distance education and their perceptions of the provided institutional support. Regression analysis showed that 76% of the variance of the faculty members' attitudes toward internet-based distance education can be accounted for by its linear relationship with the five independent variables: (a) computer and internet access, (b) time commitments, (c) computer and internet skills, (d) perceived value, and (e) institutional support.
Only three variables perceived value, computer and internet access, and institutional support were individually significant in predicting the faculty attitudes toward internet-based distance education; perceived value (t = 14.8, Beta = .80; p = .00), institutional support (t =-2.6, Beta = -.13; p = .01) , and computer and internet access (t =2.5, Beta = .12; p = .015).
Based on the value of standardized regression coefficients (Beta), partial correlation coefficients, and part correlation coefficients of the independent variables, the best predictors of faculty attitudes in order were perceived value variable that explained 43% of the total variance of faculty attitudes after controlling for the other four variables v in this study, institutional support (1.4%), and computer and internet access (1.2%), Time commitment variable and computer and internet skills variable had negligible unique contribution in predicting faculty attitudes toward internet-based distance education.