Attitude and Incentives of Payam-e-Noor University Academics regarding e-learning

The main purpose of this study was to investigate attitude and incentives of academic staff on e-learning lecturing in all Payam-e-Noor Universities of Ardabil province, Iran. The target population of the study comprised of 600 lecturers out of which a sample of 160 participants was randomly selected. In this descriptive correlational research, a self-made questionnaire was administered after securing its validity and reliability. Data revealed that all participants had positive attitudes towards e-learning. Factor analysis explored four factors influencing instructor's attitude towards e-learning –i.e. improving educational effectiveness via e-learning; developing the instructor and student rapport; introducing legal and spiritual support for e-learning’s input and output; and finally incorporating traditional and electronic learning. Moreover, personal interest of the lecturers regarding information technology applications in educational settings, their continuous career development and participation in e-learning projects were proved to be the most important incentives of the respondents.