Dr. Joseph K. Adjei e-mail: adjei@gimpa.edu.gh

School of Technology (SOT)Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)

THE USE OF CLOUD COMPUTING SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION;

The Lived Experiences of Faculty

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OutlineIntroduction and Background to the study

Research Objectives

Research Question

Research Approach

Research Design

Data Collection

Findings

Conclusions

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Background

• Tertiary institutions have adopted many

variations of cloud computing

– To minimize computing cost, ensure data/information

availability, etc.

• There is growing perception that cloud computing

enhances academic collaboration and data

sharing.

• Cloud computing research has concentrated on

the technology and not on users’ experiences.

What is Cloud Computing

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• Many definitions from various perspectives

• In this study, we adopted the one offered by Marston

et al. (2011)

• Cloud computing is an information technology (IT)

service model where computing services (both

hardware and software) are delivered on-demand to

users over a network in a self-service fashion,

independent of device and location.

Marston et al., (2011)

Research Objective

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• The objectives of the study were to;

– Explore the lived experiences of university faculty with respect

their use of cloud computing technology

– Develop a framework for clarifying the factors informing user

choices with respect to cloud computing.

• The study is based on interviews conducted

among lecturers and researchers in selected

tertiary institutions in Ghana.

Research Questions

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A good research question challenges researchers to

see matters from a new perspective.Lipowski, (2008)

• The study sought to address the following questions;

– Why and how are faculty members using cloud computing applications

in teaching and research?

– How does faculty view their use of cloud applications?

– How does cloud applications uses impact on their contribution to the

scholarly profession?

Research Motivation

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• The study is the result of the author’s desire to

understand what cloud computing means to faculty

members of tertiary institutions.

• Such understanding will contribute to;

– Shaping the cloud computing models that tertiary

institutions adopt,

– Explaining cloud computing uses or otherwise by faculty

members of tertiary institutions, and

– Understanding of technology’s influence on teaching and

research in tertiary institutions individuals.

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Research Approach

• This study is an interpretive phenomenological analysis of

faculty members’ lived experiences with cloud computing

– Phenomenology could be described as a science whose purpose is to describe

particular phenomena, or the appearance of things, as lived experience

Streubert and Carpenter (1995).

• Husserl introduced the phenomenological concept of the

"lifeworld" to describe the world as it is experienced by

individuals, (lived experiences)

• The approach is considered appropriate for this study

because

– It offers a clear process for setting aside the researcher's preconceptions

about a phenomenon.

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Research Design• A purposive criterion based sampling technique was used in the

selection of informants.

• The technique ensures that; the purpose of the research, the

specific research questions, what will be useful, what will have

credibility, and what can be done with available time and

resources determines the sample selection. Tongco, (2007)

– This approach allows the selection of qualified informants, in order

to ensure extensiveness and diversity of opinion.

– It also has the advantage of revealing certain important facts about

the context such as i.e. languages, social cues, opinions, attitudes,

beliefs and feelings. Yin, (2011)

• Informants were selected if they were fulltime university

lecturers or researchers and uses computing resources.

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Data Collection – Participants Characteristics

• The study concentrated on tertiary institutions in Ghana.

• Thirteen university faculty participated in this study.

• The selected informants use a variety of computing and data storage

technologies for delivering instructions, interacting with students and for

collaboration.

• The selected informants were from different academic disciplines.

• Participants’ Internet experience ranged from five years to fourteen

years.

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PROFILE OF INFORMANTSINFORMANT ID INSTITUTION SUBJECT AREA

1 GIMPA Economics

2 University of Ghana Economics 

3University of Professional Studies Accounting & Finance

4 KNUST Accra Marketing

5 UCC, Accra Information Systems

6 Accra Polytechnic Marketing

7 GIMPA Senior Lecturer

8 GIMPABusiness Administration

9 University of Ghana Accounting & Finance

10 University of Ghana Information Systems 

11University of Professional Studies Information Systems

12 GIMPA Economics

13 Accra Polytechnic Engineering

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Interview Protocol

• The interviews were undertaken between January and June 2014.

• Each of the participants were interviewed separately using a semi-

structured interview guide.

• All the interviews were tape recorded and the informants’ consent

were sought before the recordings.

• The informants were also given the opportunity to review the

transcripts in order to make the necessary clarifications

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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS How did you found out about cloud computing and started using it?

Which cloud applications do you use regularly?

For what purposes do you use cloud based applications

Tell me about how you currently use cloud computing applications

Has your use of cloud computing applications has changed over time

Tell me about those you share files with (i.e. students, colleagues, etc.)

What are your communication methods and norms?

Tell me about what Cloud computing has added to your life.

Has your working life changed as a result of using cloud computing?

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Data Analysis• According to Dahlberg et al (2008, p. 250), in the analyses of a phenomenon, the

researcher must appreciate that

– “there is a general form of the phenomenon … an essential meaning or essence to the

phenomenon, which makes the phenomenon what it is.” Without its essence, an experience

would not be what it is.

• Creswell's (2007) phenomenological framework was used to discover the essential

themes of meaning that exist across participants.

• Data interpretation involved reflecting on initial reading of the transcript with interpretive

lens to ensure comprehensive understanding of findings

• We also looked for “culturally derived and historically situated interpretations of the

social life-world” of phenomena as we live it rather than as we conceptualize it by;

– Reflecting on the essential themes which characterize the phenomena.

– Describing the phenomena through the art of writing and rewriting. Crotty, (1998)

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Findings• Professional outlook, academic achievements and flexibility in communication

are major determinants of cloud computing uses.

• These factors affects impact on the actions of faculty members as follows;

– they either careful to ensure that their use of cloud computing may be scrutinized by a variety

of people

– It also limit their visible participation.

• This has resulted tensions between their inherent in this experience can be

described through the four constituents of:

• Thus many faculty members have

– establishing personal and professional boundaries, and have

– Structured their participation so that they are seen in a certain light

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Findings• Cost, Privacy and Information security are not the major concerns of academics

in Ghana with respect to the use of the cloud computing.

• University faculty collaborate with their peers on the cloud in order to have

access to databases and virtual laboratory facilities.

• The major challenges confronting faculty members of tertiary educational

institutions are;

– Power Fluctuations – Unstable power implies that users might not have access to

data when needed

– Difficulty in paying for cloud services – many cloud service providers do not

accept local cards

– Bandwidth – still expensive and comparatively very slow

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Conclusions

• Cloud computing scenarios typifies an outsourcing

arrangement in which service providers must provide

trusted assurances to the users to ensure consistent user

experiences

• Better understanding of the demands and requirements of

users will enrich the future cloud computing service offering

and continuous use

• This study therefore contributes to literature on how parties

to cloud relationships can gain better understanding of the

requirements of other parties.

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Thank You

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