Technology Readiness, Learning Goals, and eLearning: Searching for Synergy

Abstract

More and more business schools are offering classes online or classes using a mix of face-to-face and online elements. In this article, we focus on how technology readiness and learning-goal orientation influence students’ preference toward these mixed classes. We conducted a large-scale survey to determine whether students who are technology ready would place higher utility on enrolling in mixed classes and/or whether there exists a participation bias such that students with low learning-goal orientation place higher utility on enrolling in mixed classes. We found that overall students who are more technology ready do place higher utility on enrolling in mixed classes, but that learning goal orientation does not influence this decision. We conclude with implications and recommendations for business schools that are interested in offering mixed classes.