UNIVERSITY STAFF ADOPTION OF IPADS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY USING AN EXTENDED TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL

The adoption of iPads in the university sector has been widespread, with attention predominantly being directed to students' adoption and use of iPads. However, there is a lack of empirical research which has critically examined the key factors influencing university staff adoption of iPads. The main objective of this research is to empirically examine key factors influencing adoption of iPads by university staff. An online survey was used to collect quantitative data to validate the measurement model and test hypothesised relationships in an extended TAM. The findings from the results of the data analyses show that university staff consider iPads to be easy to use and useful, with a high level of compatibility with their work. Social status had no influence on the attitude of university staff to using an iPad in their workplace. However, older university staff and/or university staff with no previous experience in using a similar technology such as an iPhone or smartphone found iPads less easy to use. Furthermore, a lack of formal university ICT support for end-users impacted negatively on the use of iPads by university staff. This research contributes to theory by validating and establishing support for an extended TAM which is contextualized for iPad adoption by university staff. This model has practical application because it is generalisable for a range of mobile computing devices and can be used to evaluate the adoption and use of mobile computing devices in a range of industries beyond the university sector.