Problem Statements The Desire2Learn learning technology (D2L) has been used by the UW systems for years. This research is to explore how an individual student's perceptions of key beliefs, including richness, usefulness and ease of use, surrounding the usage of course management systems (CMS) influence his or her learning.

Methods of Analysis The study uses a Web-based survey of 38 items, including 7 demographic questions and comments box on Survey Monkey. The soliciting letter is sent to Dr. Shin-Ping Tucker's current and previous students first. Secondly, it sends this letter to the Student Digest at UW-Superior. The Survey Monkey collects all input from participants and generates a text file. The text file will be exported to SPSS for further data analysis. This study applies the theoretical Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) identifying components of richness, usefulness and ease of use that predict student's attitude toward the course management system usage as expressed in the figure. The factor and path analysis are the main tools for building a modified Technology Acceptance Model for this study.

Project Summary The study implements a Web-based survey and employs Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with the factor and path analysis to identify the course management system features with other key beliefs' cause-and-effect relationships. The grounded theory is adopted for the reflection analysis of the students' feedback. Finally, the study provides insightful recommendations out of these research findings to educators and vendors, as well as students. Working definitions of the constructs in the model are as follows: I. Perceived Usefulness: The degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance (Davis, 1993). II. Perceived Ease of Use: The degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would be free of physical and mental effort (Davis, 1993). III. Perceived Richness: The extent that it can transmit nonverbal cues, convey a sense of personalness, provide timely feedback, and transmit rich and varied language (Fulk, Schmitz, and Ryu, 1995). IV. Attitude toward Use: The extent that perceived usefulness, ease of use and richness represent the beliefs that lead to acceptance (Davis, 1993). V. Actual Desire2Learn Usage: Represents the Desire2Learn system usage in class.

Annotated List of Helpful Resources & References Adams, D. A., Nelson, R. R., and Todd, P. A. (1992). Perceived usefulness, ease of use, and usage of information technology: A Replication, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 227-247. Aladwani, A. M. & Palvia, P. C. (2002), Developing and validating an instrument for measuringvuser-perceived web quality, Information & Management, 39(6), 467-76. Chau, P. Y. K. (1996). An Empirical Assessment of a modified Technology Acceptance Model, Journal of MIS, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 185-204. Davis, F. D. (1989), Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 319-340. Davis, F. D. (1993), User acceptance of information technology: system characteristics, user perceptions, and behavioral impacts, International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, Vol. 38, pp. 475-487. Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P., and Warshaw, P. R. (1989), User acceptance of computer technology: A comparison of two theoretical models, Management Science, Vol. 35, No. 8, pp. 982-1003. Fulk, J. Schmitz, J. A., and Steinfield, C. W. (1990), A social influence model of technology use. In J. Fulk and C. Steinfield (Eds.), Organization and Communication Technology, Sage, New Park, CA, pp. 117-142. Fulk, J., Schmitz, J. A., and Ryu, D. (1995), Cognitive elements in the social construction of communication technology, Management Communication Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 259-288. Lederer A. L., Maupin, D. J., Sena, M. P., and Zhuang, Y. (1995), The Technology Acceptance Model and the World Wide Web. KIKM Research Paper, p. 125. Liu, S. P., Tucker, D., Koh, C., & Kappelman, L. (2003), Standard User Interface in E-commerce Sites. Industrial Management and Data Systems (IMDS), 103(8 & 9), 600-610.

Preliminary Results, Findings, Conclusions, & Implications The survey produces 178 usable responses. Further data analysis is necessary. The ultimate goal is to create a CMS acceptance model by adapting the theoretical technology model. This is an ongoing process. There are 2 questions of the ground theory in the study: 1) Please describe how Desire2Learn course management system improves your college learning. 2) Comments: I would appreciate your comments or recommendations regarding the drawbacks or strengths of this Desire2Learn Survey [i.e., Item 38 in the online survey]. The students are to solicit answers to these two questions with their written statements. First question receives 56 usable responses. Second question receives 72 usable responses. The total samples for the ground theory is 128. The summary of the ground theory is included as the table above shows. Even though the factor and path analysis are not finished yet, the CMS positive feedback from students is promising. Most of the students positively accept CMS and believe CMS is able to improve his or her learning tremendously. They also expect that the CMS usage rate in class can be increased by all faculty. The further study of faculty technology acceptance model may be needed.

Career Relevance & Impact As I work through the WTFS Program, I have been moving my focus from teacher-centered to student-centered. This program helps me see student needs from different perspectives. I'm glad I have the opportunity to join this program.