Modeling E-learning Readiness among Instructors in Iraqi Public Universities

E-learning has been used by many higher learning institutions around the globe. However, are the university instructors ready to use e-learning in their teaching and learning activities? What are the factors influencing their e-learning readiness? This study attempts to model e-learning readiness among instructors in four Iraqi public universities (IPUs). Based on the literature, nine factors involving organizational climate (environmental and financial readiness); societal/community readiness (culture); tools (equipment/infrastructure, technology skills, and human resources); subject/individual readiness for change (attitude and online learning style); and engagement readiness have been identified to influence e-learning readiness. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the simultaneous effects of these factors on each other and their collective readiness: (i) the direct effects of organizational climate on culture, tools and subject/individual readiness for change, (ii) indirect effects of organizational climate on engagement readiness through subject, tools, and culture, (iii) direct effects of subject on tools and engagement, and its indirect effect on engagement through tools, (iv) direct effects of culture on subject, tools and engagement, and its indirect effects on engagement through subject and tools, and (v) direct effect of tools on engagement. A survey research method using questionnaire was employed to collect the data among IPUs instructors. The questionnaire was adapted from several previous studies and administered to 409 respondents. All respondents were instructors from four public universities in Iraq. A stratified sampling technique was utilized to identify the sample. xxv Data from the questionnaire gathered was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in SPSS AMOS, in which several techniques of analysis were employed to test the hypothesized model and the relationships between the variables studied. The analyses indicate that (a) organizational climate has significant direct effects on subject and tools, and significant indirect effect on engagement through subject and tools, (b) organizational climate does not have direct effect on culture, and no indirect effect on engagement through culture, (c) the subject/individual has significant direct effects on engagement and tools, and a significant indirect effect on engagement through tools, (d) culture has significant direct effects on subject and engagement, and indirect effect on engagement through subject, (e) culture has no significant direct effect on tools and no indirect effect on engagement through the tools, and (f) tools have significant direct effects on engagement. Therefore, through this study in which a thorough and simultaneous analysis of several factors has been carried out, a new model on e-learning readiness among university instructors has been proposed.