ITcon Vol. 29, pg. 424-443, http://www.itcon.org/2024/20

Instructor-practitioner collaborations via a web platform – design and practitioners' intention-to-use

DOI:10.36680/j.itcon.2024.020
submitted:November 2023
revised:April 2024
published:May 2024
editor(s):Obonyo E
authors:Anthony Yusuf, Ph.D. Student
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia, United States
anthonyy@vt.edu

Abiola Akanmu, Associate Professor
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia, United States
abiola@vt.edu

Adedeji Afolabi, Research Associate
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia, United States
adedeji@vt.edu

Sheryl Ball, Professor
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia, United States
sball@vt.edu

Homero Murzi, Associate Professor
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia, United States
hmurzi@vt.edu

Andrea Ofori-Boadu, Associate Professor
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina, United States
andreao@ncat.edu
summary:The construction industry is rapidly changing due to the greater adoption of innovations and technology. This has necessitated changes in the competencies that the industry demands from new graduates. For academia to meet the changing needs of the industry, the inputs of practitioners are needed to complement academic pedagogical efforts. This study leverages the potential of Web 2.0 to develop a web platform called ConPEC to facilitate instructor-practitioner collaborations for enhancing student learning. ConPEC is aimed at providing instructors with equitable access to practitioners, increasing the participation of practitioners in instructors' pedagogical efforts, and enabling greater interaction of students with their communities of practice (CoP). These could facilitate achieving a proper blend of theory and practice in construction engineering education as well as ensure that students possess the competencies that the industry demands. This study demonstrates the efficacy of design principles in designing information systems. This study also demonstrates the usage of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explain and understand practitioners' acceptance of ConPEC. The findings reveal that practitioners perceived ConPEC to be useful, easy to use, and user-friendly. Practitioners’ behavioral intention-to-use ConPEC is significantly influenced by attitude toward usage, perceived ease of use, and trust. Trust also significantly influenced perceived ease of use. However, perceived usefulness has no direct significant influence on practitioners’ behavioral intention-to-use ConPEC. The study uncovers practitioners' acceptance behavior toward ConPEC which could be leveraged for further system development. The study also provides a framework that can be leveraged in diverse domains to develop similar initiatives aimed at addressing skill gaps in fresh graduates.
keywords:ConPEC, instructors, intention-to-use, practitioners, TAM, trust, web platform
full text: (PDF file, 1.204 MB)
citation:Yusuf A, Akanmu A, Afolabi A, Ball S, Murzi H, Ofori-Boadu A (2024). Instructor-practitioner collaborations via a web platform – design and practitioners' intention-to-use, ITcon Vol. 29, pg. 424-443, https://doi.org/10.36680/j.itcon.2024.020
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