Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-14-2025

Publication Title

International Journal of EducationalTechnology in Higher Education

Volume

22

First page number:

1

Last page number:

22

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in an era of potential transformation in various fields, especially in educational communication technologies, with tools like ChatGPT and other generative AI (GenAI) applications. This rapid proliferation and adoption of GenAI tools have sparked significant interest and concern among college professors, who are dealing with evolving dynamics in digital communication within the class-room. Yet, the effect and implications of GenAI in education remain understudied. Therefore, this study employs the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) as theoretical frameworks to explore higher education faculty’s perceptions, attitudes, usage, and motivations, as the underlying factors that influ-ence their adoption or rejection of GenAI tools. A survey was conducted among full-time higher education faculty members (N = 294) recruited from two mid-size public universities in the US. Results found that college professors’ perceived usefulness of AI predicted their attitudes and intention to use and adopt the technology, more than their perceived ease of use. Trust and social reinforcement strongly influenced col-lege professors’ GenAI adoption decisions and acted as significant mediators to better understand the relationship between TAM and SCT. Findings emphasized the power of social dynamics in shaping professors’ self-efficacy, attitudes, and use of GenAI. Trust enhances peer influence and affects how perceived usefulness shapes users’ willing-ness to adopt technology, whereas self-efficacy has a minimal impact. This research provides valuable insights that inform higher education policies aimed at improving the educational experience for college students in an AI-driven workforce.

Keywords

Artificial intelligence; Communication technology; Higher education; Technology adoption; Faculty; Trust; Self-efficacy; Social influence

Disciplines

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics | Educational Technology | Higher Education

File Format

PDF

File Size

1690 KB

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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