FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE USE OF ELECTRONIC NETWORKS BY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FACULTY AT SMALL INSTITUTIONS .1. QUERIES

Adoption of an NSFnet connection at an institutional level is a costly undertaking. The decision to connect requires a hierarchy of subordin ate decisions relating to the network connection. If any group of facu lty resist adopting and using the network, the potential benefits of t he network and its services will not be realized for the institution a s a whole. A study was undertaken to explore factors that influence th e adoption and use of electronic networks and network services by scie nce and engineering faculty in small universities and colleges. Adopti on was measured by the dichotomous variable of use and non-use for the network end for five individual services. Intensity of use was select ed as a measure of use. In general, factors found to influence the ado ption of the network are different from those that influence the inten sity of use and the number of services used. For this reason, differen t actions are necessary to enhance adoption and increase use. Physical access to a networked workstation seems to be the biggest determinant to adoption of the network. Expanding training programs to include a broader audience and a broader scope will increase use.