Absorptive Capacity and the Adoption of MOOCs in Higher Education: The Role of Educational IT

Advanced information technologies have enabled the development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which have the potential to transform higher education. Why are some schools able to more easily embrace this technology-based model of teaching, while others are reluctant to jump aboard? Applying the theory of absorptive capacity, we examine the role of a school’s educational IT – including its investments in both IT capabilities and IT governance structures – in becoming a MOOC producer. Using a unique longitudinal dataset that combines the complete history of MOOC adoption by US colleges and universities, and their use of educational IT, we find that prior educational IT capabilities such as 1) the use of Web 2.0, social media and other interactive tools for teaching, and 2) the school’s prior experience with distance education and hybrid teaching are positively associated with MOOC adoption. We also find that the contribution of educational IT capabilities to MOOC adoption is moderated by IT governance practices. When the provision of educational IT supporting services are highly decentralized, educational IT capabilities have a greater impact on the probability of a school adopting a MOOC than when these services are primarily provided by the central IT organization. We discuss the implications for research and practice.