THE USE OF CLOUD COMPUTING SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION;  The Lived Experiences of Faculty Dr. Joseph K. Adjei School of Technology (SOT) Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) 2nd International Conference of the African Virtual University

1. Dr. Joseph K. Adjei
e-mail: adjei@gimpa.edu.gh
School of Technology (SOT)
Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)

2. 2
 Introduction and Background to the study
 Research Objectives
 Research Question
 Research Approach
 Research Design
 Data Collection
 Findings
 Conclusions

3. • 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.
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4. 4
• 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

5. 5
• The objectives of the study were to;
– Explore the lived experiences of university faculty with respect
of cloud computing technology
– Develop a framework for clarifying the factors informing user
with respect to cloud computing.
• The study is based on interviews conducted among
lecturers and researchers in selected tertiary
institutions in Ghana.

6. 6
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
scholarly profession?

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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

8. • 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 8

9. • 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
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10. • 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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INFORMANT ID INSTITUTION SUBJECT AREA
1 GIMPA Economics
2 University of Ghana Economics
3 University of Professional Studies Accounting & Finance
4 KNUST Accra Marketing
5 UCC, Accra Information Systems
6 Accra Polytechnic Marketing
7 GIMPA Senior Lecturer
8 GIMPA Business Administration
9 University of Ghana Accounting & Finance
10 University of Ghana Information Systems
11 University of Professional Studies Information Systems
12 GIMPA Economics
13 Accra Polytechnic Engineering

12. • 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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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 cloudcomputing?

14. • 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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15. • 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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16. • 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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17. • 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. 17

18. Thank You
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