Application of Smart Card Technology in Higher Education from the Users’ Perspective: Case of Tarbiat Modares University

By Amir Albadvi and Ata Zahedi.

Published by Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal

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Article: Print	$US10.00
Article: Electronic	$US5.00

Multi-purpose smart card is one the new and fast growing technologies around the globe. Its application in higher education or university campus seems to come in handy. The purpose of this research is to investigate the trend or tendency which smart card technology is following in higher education. The case is smart card application in universities as a multi-function card which covers all the students’ needs and services inside the university campus or even outside of it.
Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) in Iran has initiated the project for implementing Multi Function Smart Card in university campus for both students and staff. TMU has started the issuing process from March 2008 and the project is still on-going. Proceeding to that, a research was conducted to measure the Intention to adopt smart card by TMU students and their preferences for using this new technology. By performing Structural Equation Modeling using LISREL and applying exploratory factor analysis, the results showed that out of the nine constructs that affect the adoption process of a technological innovation, the most important factor for widespread usage of smart card in universities is Relative Advantage and its future visibility or impression on the users. In the other hand it becomes clear that from the Iranian students’ point of view, Triability and Image have no significant effect on smart card usage.

Keywords:	Smart Card Technology, Higher Education, Technological Innovation Adoption

Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 3, Issue 3, pp.1-12. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Article: Electronic (PDF File; 1.805MB).

Prof. Amir Albadvi

Associate Professor of Information Systems, Information Technology Engineering Division, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Tehran, Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Amir Albadvi holds BSc and MSc in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University of Technology. He graduated from London School of Economics (LSE), in 1997 with PhD in Information Systems. His teaching experiences include courses at MSc and PhD level in Information Technology, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Change Management and Technology Adoption. In addition to LSE, he taught as Associate Professor of IS/IT in the Joint MBA Program in e-Commerce for Lulea University of Technology and Tarbiat Modares University and in the Graduate School of Management and Economy, Int’l MBA program of Sharif University of Technology and also in full-time and part-time MBA program of University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He has more than 15 years experience in Information Systems research and practice. He extended his research experiences as visiting Prof. at Sauder School of Business, UBC during 2009-2010. His main focus is on how IT/IS capabilities can transform the working practice of organisations. He has published a number of award-winning articles in international conference proceedings and esteemed journals in the area of information systems and technology adoption.

Ata Zahedi

Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Tehran, Iran (Islamic Republic of)