International Journal of Education and Development using ICT

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT > Vol. 18, No. 1 (2022)

MBA students' perceptions of challenges and attitudes towards using a unified communication and collaboration software: A Canadian study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Wenxiong Cheng
Princely Ifinedo

Abstract
This study discusses MBA students' perceptions of challenges and attitudes toward using a unified communication and collaboration software, that is, Microsoft Teams (MST) in a Canadian university during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey of students' perceptions of relevant issues was conducted. One hundred thirty-nine (139) valid responses were used for data analysis. The results show that students did not believe the IT readiness of their university regarding providing training for its faculty, staff, and students on the use of such tools was high. Students also did not believe Faculty IT skills and efforts toward using online learning tools were high. Likewise, the results show that students' attitudes toward using the software for learning during the period were low. Recommendations to address the challenges identified in the study include ongoing ICT training for faculty and students, making it mandatory for faculty to teach at least one of their courses in online format and development of dedicated software tools that could help to increase the use of such tools for online learning and teaching.

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