Resistance to Change Concerning Use of Educational Online Technologies in Blended Tertiary Environments

The rapid emergence, adoption and demand for educational online technologies (EOTs) has engendered significant advances across the higher education sector. Traditional learning spaces have evolved into dynamic blended tertiary environments (BTEs), providing a modern means through which tertiary education institutes (TEIs) can augment delivery to meet stakeholder needs. Despite the significant growth and demand for web-enabled learning, considerable obstacles face key stakeholders concerning the adoption and use of EOTs. These obstacles challenge the continued success and sustainability of blended implementations in higher education. Resistance to change was identified as one of these challenges during interviews with 13 blended learning experts from New Zealand, Australia and Canada. This paper discusses this issue as it relates to EOT usage, how it is demonstrated, and the extent to which it impacts on key stakeholders. As technology advances and usage accelerates, it is important for TEIs to understand and address this issue, and provide support for the effective use of EOTs. As TEIs keep pace with digital advancements, the outcomes of this study will enable them to design relevant approaches to tackle the issue of resistance to change as it relates to EOT usage, and deliver meaningful support to key stakeholders in BTEs.