Course management system adoption and usage: A process theoretic perspective

• A parsimonious bi-dimensional framework of technology use is adopted for CMS.
• Scale and sophistication of a CMS is used to understand patterns of use.
• Activities and events of CMS use are analyzed using process theory.
• Transition paths exhibited by users over a 5 year period are analyzed.
• Interventions are suggested for facilitating sustained use of CMS.

Software platforms called Course Management Systems (CMS) have been widely deployed in recent times to enhance both the effectiveness and efficiency of course delivery. Research into how best to derive value from CMS is still in a nascent stage. Based on the well-established finding that actual usage is an important intermediate variable between IT and value, this paper develops a parsimonious bi-dimensional characterization of CMS use, consisting of scale and sophistication of use. It then presents a process theoretic framework that can be used to explain the pattern of evolution of CMS use. These two conceptual developments are applied to the usage patterns of 62 faculty members over a 5 year period at a major Indian business school. Usage was found to become more broad-based over time. Overall sophistication of use remained unchanged for infrequent users but increased among frequent users. This evolution in usage patterns is tied to specific actions and events along the way, allowing us to draw prescriptive lessons to enhance usage in CMS environments and potentially derive more value from this type of technology.