Attitudes and perceptions of faculty members in the process adopting innovation: The OpenCourseWare initiative at the University of Valencia, Spain

Abstract

The OpenCourseWare project, an open learning resource repository, was established at the University of Valencia between 2008 and
2009. It initially consisted of only 10 subjects, none of which was in the field of Health Sciences. The objective of this research was to
investigate the attitudes and perceptions of faculty members in the field of Health Sciences with regard to the project to identify strategies to increase its use and expand its coverage. We applied Rogers’ innovation-diffusion theory along with a qualitative approach using theoretical sampling, semi-structured interviews and open coding. The results indicate the existence of two categories of faculty members. In the first group, we find those who adopt an innovation early, have an inclination to participate in the initiative, and a positive perception of the characteristics of the innovation. In the second, the largest category is composed of those who are more reluctant to participate and who have a negative perception of one or more of its characteristics. Identifying the nature of these two groups provides guidelines for further actions and research in marketing and distribution of such projects, training, awareness, and motivation required to increase the use of OpenCourseWare.