Chapter 7: Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations
3.7 Media Synchronicity and Use of Web 2.0 Technologies for TAL
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quantitative method of data collection and analysis. The present study extends Thongmak‟s (2014) investigation to the Nigerian context considering academics‟ use of Web 2.0 for TAL.
This study also adopts a mixed method approach to data collection and analysis.
Coleman, Herselman and Coleman (2012) employed a case study approach to investigate how doctors in remote rural hospitals in South Africa used computer-mediated tools (CMT) to communicate with experienced and specialist doctors for professional advice to improve their clinical practices. Data was collected from ten purposively selected doctors in ten hospitals using semi-structured open ended interview questions. Study findings revealed that the use of CMT by doctors to review spellings improved their message structure and made communication more precise and efficient. Also, CMT helped doctors reduce the enormous pressure emanating from a multitude of tasks including sending e-mails and transmitting patient information simultaneously. However, findings revealed that the speed of internet connectivity was very slow and sometimes not available due to power outages and poor network infrastructure; thereby resulting in very slow transmission of information. The availability of internet connectivity is also important for the use of Web 2.0 technologies in TAL because the internet remains the bedrock of all web-based systems and services.
Unreliable networks could adversely affect the decision of users about the Web 2.0 technologies.
To address the limitations in studies reviewed this present study investigated the factors that influenced the use of Web 2.0 technologies in TAL in Nigerian universities using selected constructs from D&M model, TAM and MST. Undergraduate students and academics formed the unit of analysis, while both quantitative and qualitative approaches were adopted. Some metrics of net benefits that were used in data collection instruments included “Web 2.0 technologies help me to acquire new knowledge and innovative ideas”, “Teaching/learning performances are enhanced with the use of Web 2.0” (see section D of appendices 1 and 2) and
“What has been the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on TAL?” (See Appendix 3).
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MST as an independent variable in this study to predict academics‟ and students‟ intention to use Web 2.0 technologies. MST developed by Dennis, Fuller and Valacich (2008) centered on the capability of media to support synchronicity, that is, a shared pattern of co-ordinated behaviour among individuals working together. The theory dwells on the new features of media and how they affect communication tasks. Dennis and Valacich (1999:5) defined synchronicity as “the extent to which individuals work together on the same activity at the same time; i.e. have a shared focus”. Synchronicity can also be described as the capability of a medium (for example, Web 2.0) to generate the sense that all users are simultaneously communicating (Carlson and George 2004).
Dennis and Valacich (1999) asserted that a set of five media capabilities are important to group work, and that communication effectiveness is influenced by relating these capabilities to the requirements of the fundamental communication processes. Furner and George (2012) further maintained MST‟s argument that communication effectiveness is dependent on the information transmission capabilities of the media and the information transmission needs of the communication event. Dennis, Fuller and Valacich (2008) while expounding MST, identified five capabilities of media as being symbol sets, parallelism, transmission velocity, rehearsability, and reprocessability. These media capabilities are seen to influence the development of synchronicity. Among the media attributes identified, the ones that are most directly related to high synchronicity are speed of interaction (also called parallelism or speed of feedback), rehearsability, and reprocessability (Carlson and George 2004) because they have asynchronous characteristics (Ryoo and Koo 2010); while transmission velocity, parallelism and symbol variety affect information transmission and have positive impact on synchronous characteristics (Dennis, Fuller and Valacich 2008 and Ryoo and Koo 2010).
Parallelism is the extent to which signals from multiple senders can be transmitted simultaneously over a medium; symbol variety refers to the number of ways in which a medium allows information to be encoded for communication, for instance verbal, non-verbal, auditory and visual (Dennis, Fuller and Valacich 2008; Ryoo and Koo 2010). Carlson and George (2004) describe „speed of interaction‟ as the amount of time delay between the time information is sent and the time it is received. „Rehearsability‟ represents the availability of time during an on-going interaction, for participants to analyse and modify information before they are sent while „reprocessability‟ refers to the capability of a media to permanently store
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information and allow users to evaluate and analyse information content more than once and at subsequent points in time (Dennis and Valacich 1999 and Carlson and George 2004). Carlson and George (2004) added that all media (including Web 2.0 technologies) offer some degree of reprocessability. All these capabilities are measured under the media synchronicity variable in this study, in order to give room for some Web 2.0 applications that possess either synchronous or asynchronous characteristics. These attributes could directly or indirectly influence users‟
intention to use a technology. In this study, media synchronicity focuses on the competence of Web 2.0 technologies to support synchronicity and how they can generate high‐quality communication among academics and students to enhance TAL practices.
Dennis, Fuller and Valacich (2008) illustrated that communication comprises of the conveyance and convergence process; and that for conveyance processes, using media that supports lower synchronicity would result in better communication performance. While for convergence processes, the use of media that supports higher synchronicity ought to result in better communication performance. Moreover, media with a high degree of synchronicity should allow face-to-face meetings, permit users to instantly observe the reactions and responses of others, offer participants the opportunity to communicate in real time and assist users to easily determine whether co-users are fully involved in the conversation (Carlson and George 2004). Similarly, Park, Choi and Rho (2014) evinced that social media has the feature of high synchronicity. Although MST has provided a conceptual basis to explore a technology‟s performance (Ou, Sia and Hui 2013), it will also be beneficial to empirically investigate its influence on users‟ intention to use a technology, particularly Web 2.0 technologies in TAL.
Studies appear to be uncommon on the applicability of media synchronicity in examining the use of IS. However, some scholars have investigated the moderating effect of media synchronicity in IS studies. Park, Choi and Rho (2014) for example, investigated citizens‟
patronage behaviour of government social media services using media synchronicity to moderate the perceived values (that is, utilitarian, hedonic and social values) and found that significant relationships exist between the three values and satisfaction. Furthermore, study results show that a high media synchronicity will positively function as a moderator for increasing users‟ satisfaction. Also, it was noted that citizens‟ perceived value does not have the same satisfactory impact under all media synchronicity. The researchers hence suggested
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that careful consideration be given to media synchronicity when studying communication processes and performances in social media.
Ryoo and Koo (2010) also examined the moderating effect of media synchronicity in communication media use and knowledge creation in a survey of 248 company employees in Korea. Findings from the study indicated that media synchronicity moderates the relationship between the characteristics of a given task and ICT usage and the relationship between ICT usage and knowledge creation. These findings are similar to that of Yang, Lim, Lee, Lee and Lim (2008) who found that technology, communication and content factors each have a significant effect on use intentions of Interactive Video Services (IVS) and that the degree of effect is moderated by media synchronicity based on the differences between real-time and non-real-time. Considering the fact that high synchronicity media is suitable for convergence processes (Dennis, Fuller and Valacich 2008) and because convergence processes centred on shared understanding, people need to work together or synchronize for the convergence processes (Ryoo and Koo 2010). It is supposed that TAL practices will require a high synchronous media to improve the convergence processes in academic activities.
Carlson and George (2004) conducted a two-survey based study in the USA to investigate the role of media synchronicity and media richness on the particular communication context of deception from separate perspectives of the deceiver and the receiver. Their study results indicated a general preference for highly synchronous (and non-reprocessable) media. It was further revealed that when making media selections, synchronicity and media familiarity are relatively less important to receivers. The receivers can be likened to academics and students who receive and use information content from Web 2.0 applications. Thus, suggesting that their choice of which Web 2.0 tool to use for TAL purposes may not be influenced by media synchronicity. MST also posits that communication performance will be enhanced when a variety of media are used (Dennis, Fuller and Valacich 2008). According to Cao, Vogel, Guo, Liu, and Gu (2012:3940), “social media are exactly a combination of different media, providing the ideal combination of media capabilities for knowledge transfer”. It is assumed that Web 2.0 technologies which comprise of various social media would provide an ideal channel for communication that would enhance TAL.
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Setlock, Fussell and Neuwirth (2004) also studied the effects of synchronous computer- facilitated communication on culture-based communication styles to understand how culture and media interact to shape perceptions of the quality of team work and task performance.
Their study findings suggest that instant messaging reduces cultural differences in international collaboration and communication. Donabedian (2006) explains how users become indecisive when attempting to make a choice of the best media. Jung and Lyytinen (2014) observed that the choices which they made were dynamically influenced by a number of factors and that the effectiveness of the choices rose with changes in communication tasks and users' capabilities.
Kock (2009) also stressed the significance of understanding users' new and evolving ICT capabilities. This means that the capabilities of users with regard to technologies should be considered when introducing new technologies. Similarly, Dennis, Fuller and Valacich (2008) and Ryoo and Koo (2010) were of the opinion that people who use high synchronous media are more likely to be motivated to use ICTs than those who do not use such media, because media synchronicity simplifies the process of gaining information that they need to manage.
Another aspect of media synchronicity is that it helps users to “maintain personal connections with friends while at work” (Charoensukmongkol 2014) which is essential to provide balance to academics‟ and students‟ work/life activities. Charoensukmongkol (2014) noted that personnel who are fully satisfied in their personal lives are more able to concentrate on their work. This can also transcend the academic environment, where academics and students also enjoy a balanced life style. Likewise, it has been observed that high synchronicity media users are more inclined to use ICTs to enhance their social relationships and increase the possibilities of gaining more information in an appropriate time (Ryoo and Koo, 2010). It then implies that academics and students would develop a positive attitude to the use of Web 2.0 technologies if it would help them gain time in accomplishing required tasks. It is also assumed that high media synchronicity is a quality of Web 2.0 technologies (Park, Choi and Rho 2014) and that it fits well with TAL activities in the universities.
From reviewed literature, there seemed to be a dearth of studies on the relationship between media synchronicity and intention to use. Thus this study adapted the construct to extend the D&M model and verify the relationship that exists between media synchronicity and intention to use to gain a better understanding of the research problem. Metrics used on research instruments to gather data on media synchronicity include “the use of Web 2.0 technologies aid
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simultaneous communication between sender and receiver” and “Web 2.0 technologies enable me to give and receive rapid feedback on the communications”. A typical question from the interview guide is “Which Web 2.0 technologies are used for TAL in your university?” (See Appendix 3)