THESIS TITLE: Performance Expectancy and Cloud Risks as Determinants for Cloud Computing Acceptance in Public Universities in Kenya
NAME: Tsinale Loice Harriet
Supervisors
- Anselemo P. Ikoha
- Franklin Wabwoba
ABSTRACT
Cloud computing main objective is to reduce the cost of Information Technology services while increasing processing throughput, availability, reliability, and flexibility as well as decreasing processing time. Because of the potential benefits of Cloud Computing, it has become popular with educational institutions around the world. A number of them have already adopted and some are on the process of adopting Cloud Computing to improve the education standards while saving on the cost spent on technology. Despite cloud computing services being thought of being useful in advancing the academic research and administrative task, it has not been popular as it anticipated in most university in Kenya as evident with few Kenyan universities having adopted cloud computing. Therefore the purpose of this research was to develop a Cloud Computing acceptance Framework. The objectives of this study will be to determine the effect of Performance Expectancy and the influence of Cloud Risks on the acceptance to use Cloud Computing in public universities in Kenya and to develop a Cloud Computing Acceptance. Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to determine the acceptability of Cloud Computing as a new technology in public universities in Kenya. The Research design used was a mixed method approach. A sample was drawn from four public universities in Kenya. The target population was 340 respondents and will consist of 4 homogeneous stratums comprising of 10 Managers chairman of departments and relevant Deans /Directors), 97 IT (Information Technology) personnel/lecturers, 21 Administration assistants and 212 students taking IT and computer science programmes. Stratified sampling was used to select the sample population and the sample size was 181 respondents which were arrived at by using proportional allocation method. The research instruments that will be used are questionnaires, interviews and focus group. The reliability of the data was arrived at by using the test-retest techniques and the internal consistence of data from the questionnaires was computed by using the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient. Data analysis was done using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study applied confirmatory factor analysis to reduce the large item set their underlying variable from UTAUT model. The research was expected to develop an acceptance framework for cloud computing adoption in universities in Kenya. This framework is likely to enhance the universities acceptance of cloud computing in a cost effective and efficient manner. The study will reveal factors that affect the acceptance of cloud computing within public universities and hence contribute to world of knowledge. The respondents were of the perception that cloud computing is easier to use, safer, solves problems and easier to learn. Students and ICT personnel perceived increased change in performance by moving the clouds. Most ICT personnel’s felt that there are still unmitigated risks in the use of cloud services. The findings of the study will go a long way into informing policies with regard to cloud computing adoption.
