Cultural aspects of adoption of innovation: A case study with implementing a lecture-recording system in a university in Hong Kong

Abstract

The literature indicates clear benefits associated with the use of lecture-recording systems such as Echo360, which was introduced in 2010 as an initiative to enhance the learning experience of students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). However, in the year of this small-scale study, we did not generate a great deal of interest among CUHK teachers, and indeed encountered disinterest and some concerns about the system; although those who used the system did find it valuable and useful. There was also a lack of motivation to use this system among students; in particular, students who studied an elective General Education course had lower ratings on the usefulness of the videos than students in a compulsory engineering course. These findings are interpreted in terms of the challenges involved in innovation and change. There are universal factors involved but the instantiation of these factors has a local character, involving aspects of Chinese culture.