Acceptance Factors and Current Level of Use of Web 2.0 Technologies for Learning in Higher Education: a Case Study of Two Countries

The use of Web 2.0 technology tools or social media in educational context is being emphasized in recent times in different parts of the world and this has brought about a significant increase in the number of educational institutions who are aware of their usefulness when either implementing them as a separate system or incorporating them into their learning management systems. However, there is little research on the acceptance and how much these tools are currently being used for learning hence the need for more empirical studies to investigate factors that would influence acceptance and increase the use of these technologies. The study developed hypotheses and a research model which was operationalized into a questionnaire administered to academics and students in Scotland and Nigeria. 317 responses were received from Nigeria and 279 from Scotland. Analysed data was used to validate the research model that is aimed at explaining acceptance and present level of use of Web 2.0 technology tools in learning environments. Keywords—Web 2.0 technologies; acceptance factors; adoption for learning; collaboration; participation; Nigerian higher education; Scotland