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International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction

ISSN: 1044-7318 (Print) 1532-7590 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hihc20

Factors Affecting Web Portal Information Services Usability: A Canonical Correlation Analysis Rex Bringula To cite this article: Rex Bringula (2016): Factors Affecting Web Portal Information Services Usability: A Canonical Correlation Analysis, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, DOI: 10.1080/10447318.2016.1199180 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2016.1199180

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Factors Affecting Web Portal Information Services Usability: A Canonical Correlation Analysis Rex Bringula

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[email protected]

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Abstract

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combinations of student, web portal design, and objective measure-related factors might

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influence both frequency and satisfaction of use of the web portal information services (WPIS). Data gathered from the two studies revealed that usability of WPIS is a combination of self-

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initiative, commitment, content, availability, speed, aesthetics, ease of use, and effectiveness of WPIS. Thus, the null hypothesis stating that the predictor variable set cannot explain any of the

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variance of the dependent variables was rejected. It was concluded that the WPIS usability was more sensitive to design-related factors than the student-related factors. It was likewise shown

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that effectiveness is a design consideration and not a dimension of usability in the context of web portal. Further, it was disclosed that initiative and commitment and not external pressure influence usability of WPIS. Limitations and recommendations were also offered. Keywords – commitment, design factors, effectiveness, self-initiative, web portal, web portal

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This study employed canonical correlation analysis to determine which of the possible

information services

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Introduction Higher education institutions are seeking innovative ways to collect, store, and

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disseminate information to its stakeholders (i.e., faculty members and students). Stakeholders have a high demand for up-to-date, accessible, and relevant information. On one hand, teachers

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may post their grades online, disseminate announcements, or search for educational materials for

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announcements from their teachers, or verify their current account balances. Universities respond

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to these demands by offering a university web portal. Web portal serves as both information

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aggregator and disseminator.

Different studies (e.g., Lee, 2008; Cheung and Lee, 2009; Santosa, 2009; Bringula and

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Basa, 2011; Bringula, 2013) were conducted to determine the factors that influence educational web portal usability so as to ensure its optimal use. However, the existing threads of

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investigations analyzed the factors that predicted web portal usability in a “linear” perspective; that is, the analyses were mostly done to find the influence of a single metric factor from a linear function of another set of factors. This is not always the case for usability studies (Bringula and Basa, 2011). Cheung and Lee (2009) commented that previous studies on information systems (IS) assumed that independent variables symmetrically and linearly affected user satisfaction.

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their lessons. On the other hand, students may be interested to know their course grades, receive

They further argued that this method may misestimate the actual impact of independent variables on dependent variables. For example, a product or an innovation may not be used frequently but users nevertheless got satisfaction from utilizing it (Bringula and Basa, 2011). Thus, it is worth

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investigating to find the possible combinations of factors that might influence the combination of indicators of student web portal usability. In light of this research gap, this paper was conceived. Specifically, this study aimed to

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answer the following questions. 1) What are the student-related factors that might influence

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students’ use of the web portal information systems in terms of duration of use of the web portal, computer skills, Internet usage skills, commitment to the use of the web portal, level of

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perceived the web portal design-related factors in terms of effectiveness, ease of use, content,

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availability, speed, and aesthetics? 3) What are the objective measure-related factors that might influence students’ use of the web portal information systems in terms of time spent, problems

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encountered, and success rate of the participants in carrying out different tasks in using the

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WPIS? 4) What is the usability of the web portal information services in terms of frequency of use and level of satisfaction? 5) Do the following factors ⎯ student, web portal, and objective

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measure- related factors ⎯ explain any variance in the usability of the web portal information services?

Literature Review

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isomorphic pressure, and level of self-initiative to use the web portal? 2) How do participants

Student-Related Factors The skills of computer users may affect the perceived effective design of a system (Sandvig and Bajwa, 2004). Lee (2008) commented that users who are skilled in using

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computers may work more effectively in performing a task. Hence, it is important to determine the skills and experiences of users in using a computer and the Internet (Bringula and Basa, 2011). In general, self-efficacy is the perceived ability of a person to perform a task believing

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that that a person will achieve a certain outcome (Maddux, 2007). Self-efficacy beliefs are task specific (Palladino, 2006), subjective, and situation-dependent (Maddux, 2007). Thus, computer

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self-efficacy is “an individual’s perceptions of his or her ability to use computers in the

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Tung, 2008 from Compeau and Higgins, 1995, p. 192). Computer self-efficacy is one indicator

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of computer skills (Pearson and Pearson, 2008).

Zhang et al. (2006) showed that satisfaction of users of e-service correlated positively with the

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users’ skills and experiences in using a computer. In the study of Chan and Tung (2008), computer self-efficacy and other variables (e.g., compatibility, perceived usefulness, ease of use,

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and system quality) were hypothesized to predict behavioral intentions of students to use online

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learning course websites. Structural equation modeling on the data gathered from 212 undergraduate students in Taiwan revealed that computer self-efficacy and all other variables mentioned influenced the use of online learning course websites. Researchers (e.g., Bringula and Basa, 2011; Bringula, 2013) advocated the inclusion of

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accomplishment of a task rather than reflecting simple component skills” (adapted by Chan and

commitment as a factor that might influence usability of a system. Commitment is a “force that binds an individual to a course of action” (Meyer and Herscovitch, 2001, p. 301). In the context of portal usage, “teachers who are committed to use e-learning and online digital library resources could be expected to use the technology even if the benefits are not apparent”

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(Bringula 2013, p. 189). Bringula (2013) showed that commitment had positive influence on faculty web portal usability. Absent in the literature is the possible impact of isomorphic pressures on web portal usability.

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Isomorphic pressures were extensively discussed in the field of business (e.g., Dimaggio and

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Powell, 1983; Teo et al., 1997; Ashworth et al., 2009; Brouthers et al., 2013; Li and Ding, 2013). Dimaggio and Powell (1983) proposed that there were three forms of isomorphic pressures. The

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because of laws issued by governments, parent corporations, and other dominant institutions.

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Mimetic pressure, on the other hand, is the type of pressure where institutions adopt practices or innovations because of the technical value of such practices and innovations. The purpose of the

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adopting institution in this type of adoption pressure was to gain social legitimacy. The last pressure was normative pressure which may be exerted by suppliers, customers, business, trade,

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and professional organizations. The adopting organization may be compelled to adopt an

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innovation since their stakeholders are embracing the same technology.

Usability and Web Portal Usability A product was usable when individuals could use the product easily and intuitively

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first form was coercive in nature. In this form, organizations adopted practices or innovations

(Preece, 2001; Preece, 2001; Koohang and Ondracek, 2005). It is expected that such usage lead to satisfying the needs and specifications of users (Koohang and Ondracek, 2005). According to ISO 9241 (1998), usability was composed of efficiency (resources spent in performing tasks), effectiveness (the ability of users to complete tasks using a technology with the assurance that

the output of that task have quality), and satisfaction (subjective evaluation of contentment by

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using the technology). Nevertheless, there is no universal definition of usability (Sindhuja and Dastidar, 2009) since it is “context-dependent and is shaped by the interaction among users, tasks and system purpose” (Granic et al., 2011, p. 341). Thus, usability investigations varied from one

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study to another.

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Usability studies had been carried out in the context of web portals. Educational web portal integrates information and library services. As an information provider, it stores, processes, and

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student-teacher forum. It may function as library portal where digital resources and web-based

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library services are offered and may be accessed anytime, anywhere (Letha, 2006). In both

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capacities, it allows users to perceive and consume information effectively (Koneru, 2006). Different studies investigated the usability of educational portals. Bringula (2013) studied

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the faculty- and web portal design-related factors that influenced usability of faculty web portal. The author investigated the faculty web portal usability in the context of e-learning services and

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online library resources. Age, highest educational attainment, length of use of web portal, level of user experience, Internet access at home, and commitment to the use of web portal were indicators of the first factor. Web portal design-related factors comprised of ease of use, information content, availability, speed, and aesthetics. Hierarchical regression analysis on the

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disseminates information such as distribution of lecture notes, student-student interaction, and

data gathered from 118 faculty participants revealed that age, commitment, and information content had positive influenced on the faculty web portal usability. In their study, Navarro and Rodriguez (2012) hypothesized that increased student use of e-learning portals is positively associated with their use of basic Internet and Intranet systems,

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and use of groupware systems. They also assumed that students’ achievement in the course was positively associated with the use of collective systems by the universities. The researchers concluded that by “effectively developing higher levels of groupware systems, teachers empower

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students to make better, and more informed decisions—and facilitate the utilization of e-learning

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portals” (Navarro and Rodriguez, 2012, p. 85).

Underutilization of university websites by students in a southeastern university in the United

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six students showed that the participants were comfortable in using the student page interface

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(e.g., links, breadcrumbs, opening portable digital files, and using graphical links). The participants also had no concerns with the design or layout of the website and perceived that the

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layout allowed easy scanning of its content, and were primarily interested in information-related services such as exam schedules and important dates. However, students perceived that the

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university’s student page was difficult to navigate and the style was out dated. Participants

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looked for information at the student portals but not on the student page of the website. It was concluded that lack of information (e.g., news, events, and other student-related information), lack of instrumentation (e.g., architecture support from technology department, content support from the marketing department, and oversight by a content manager), and lack of motivation (i.e., students were not motivated to browse the student page) were the reasons of low use of the

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States prompted Snider and Martin (2012) to conduct a usability study. One-on-one testing with

student website. They recommended that the presentation and navigation characteristics of the web pages be improved.

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Guided by ISO (1997), Joo and Lee (2011) argued that effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction were the dimensions of usability of academic libraries. Joo and Lee added learnability as one of the usability dimensions. They adopted the definition of Nielsen (1993) of

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learnability as “measures of how easy it is for casual learners to learn a system” (Joo and Lee, 2011, p. 525). The study managed to develop a valid and reliable instrument which contained

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four items each on effectiveness and learnability, and three items each on efficiency and

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assessment were the four usability criteria of digital libraries. Santosa (2009) conducted a similar

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study on Papirus, an e-learning system developed in one department of a university. Santosa found out that ease of navigation had a strong effect on perceived ease of use, which in turn

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affected attitude and satisfaction of users.

Tarafdar and Zhang (2005) analyzed 200 websites of different kinds in order to determine

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the factors that influence usability. The authors hypothesized that information content, ease of

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navigation, download speed, availability, security, and personalization and customization influenced website usability. Information content refers to the quality, variety, relevance, timeliness, and comprehensive content of a website. Ease of navigation denoted the simplicity with which users can move around the website. Download speed as the measure of delay of web pages to appear in the browser. Website availability referred to a website whose pages are always

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satisfaction. Meanwhile, Saracevic (2004) proposed that content, process, format, and overall

present whenever needed. Security intended to measure the safety of executing instructions. Personalization and customization is the extent to which a website could be tailored to user needs. It was disclosed that information content, ease of navigation, download speed, and website availability had positive influence on website usability.

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Cheung and Lee (2009) pointed out that past research in IS user satisfaction were focused on “key driver analysis”. They commented that these approaches viewed that independent variables were symmetrically and linearly affect user satisfaction. Bringula and Basa (2011) agreed with

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this argument. To provide evidence to this argument, Cheung and Lee investigated the effects of information quality of an educational Internet-based portal (http://www.hkedcity.net) on user

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satisfaction. Information quality was contextualized in terms of appropriateness, up-to-date-ness,

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negative perceived performance on all four quality attributes had a greater impact on user

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satisfaction than the positive perceived performance.

It was shown that aesthetics served as predictor of website usability. Uniformity of design,

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appropriate graphics, and organized patterns, good color combination, and text are desirable qualities of a website (Teoh et al., 2009; Wells et al., 2011). It was shown that visual appeal in

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terms of colors and graphics were found significant indicators of a commercial website quality

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(Wells et al., 2011). Cyr (2008) further disclosed that visual design which includes colors, photographs, shapes, and font, were found to be significant factors influencing trust and satisfaction in a commercial website. In a related study, Liao et al. (2011) revealed that the perceived usefulness of web portal was influenced by its perceived attractiveness.

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accuracy, and completeness of information found in an Internet portal. It was revealed that all

Subjective measures of usability are balanced with objective measures (Filippi and Barattin, 2012). According to Herman (1996), objective measures of usability may generate more reliable data than subjective measures. This is because the data gathered was not dependent on the perception of the users (Hornbaek, 2005; Brooks and Hestness, 2010). Instead, they were “direct

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measures of either the process or outcome of user behaviour” (Brooks and Hestness, 2010, p.9). Objective measures were measured using different performance indicators. Filippi and Baratin (2012) outlined 21 objective measure indicators that were collected during usability evaluation.

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These were task duration, task accuracy, completeness, effectiveness, efficiency, dead time, productiveness, error rate, number of errors, recovery time, help system usage, expert help, used

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commands/features, unused comments/features, critical statements ratio, sidetracking, training

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papers in human-computer interaction journals, 57% used task duration to measure objective

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usability.

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Terms and Hypothesis

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Synthesis of Literature Review, Research Framework, Definition of

The foregoing review of related literature served as basis for the construction of the research

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framework shown in Figure 1. The author adopted the concept of non-linearity in the evaluation of information systems (IS). Web portal information services (WPIS) of a university in Manila was the system under investigated. The complete description of the WPIS was discussed in the succeeding sections. WPIS usability was measured in terms of self-report frequency (Frequency) and satisfaction of use (Satisfaction). These were the dependent variables.

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time, learning rate, and cognitive workload. Hornbaek (2005) showed that of the 113 published

Computer self-efficacy was operationalized in terms of duration of use (Duration), computer usage skill (CompSkill), and Internet usage skill (InternetSkill). Commitment to the use of the WPIS was included in the framework. Absent in the literature was the inclusion of isomorphic

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pressure (Pressure) as factor that might influence usability. Thus, it was decided that this factor be included. Nonetheless, it was argued that users may use the WPIS even without pressure. Hence, the author decided to include students’ self-initiative (Initiative) as one of the

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independent variables.

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This study contended that effectiveness (Effectiveness) was not an indicator of usability. Instead, it was a design consideration. In other words, a system has to be designed effectively so that

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Thus, effectiveness of WPIS was considered as one of the independent variables. Ease of use

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(Ease), content (Content), availability (Availability), speed (Speed), and aesthetics (Aesthetics) were deemed the most appropriate design factors of WPIS. Time task duration and success rates

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were the elements of objective measures. These were selected since these were the most appropriate performance measures in the context of the WPIS. It is hypothesized that the

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predictor variable set cannot explain any of the variance of the dependent variables.

1. 2.

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The variables were defined as follows. Duration of Use of the WPIS (Duration) is the period of use of the web portal. Computer Skills (CompSkill) is a self-report ability of the students to use computers.

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users may be engaged in using the WPIS and so that satisfaction may be derived from using it.

3.

Internet Skills (InternetSkill) is a self-report ability of the students to use the Internet for

searching and downloading files. 4.

Commitment to the Use of the WPIS (Commit) indicates how dedicated the students are

in using the WPIS.

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5.

Level of Isomorphic Pressure (Pressure) refers to students’ use of the web portal as a

result of pressure from classmates, friends, or teachers. 6.

Level of Self-Initiative (Initiative) is the degree to use the web portal without the

Perceived Effectiveness of the WPIS (Effectiveness) are the characteristics of the WPIS

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7.

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influence of isomorphic pressures.

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and to increase students’ efficacy in learning.

Ease of Use (Ease) is the attribute of a WPIS that allows students to use them with less

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8.

9.

Content

(Content)

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effort. refers

to

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comprehensiveness,

reliability,

updatedness,

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completeness, accuracy, and relevance of the WPIS.

Availability (Availability) is the characteristic of the WPIS in which its elements may be

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accessed anytime, anywhere undisrupted whenever the user is connected to the Internet. 11.

Speed (Speed) is “the response time of the web server of the web portal on the different

user’s activities” (Bringula and Basa, 2011, p. 257).

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to save time and effort for increasing level of access in looking for school-related information

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Aesthetics is “the general look of the web portal. It includes various design attributes

such as color, web pages layout, font styles and sizes, and general appearance” (Bringula and Basa, 2011, p. 257).

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13.

Time to complete task was the duration of the task completed. It was measured in

seconds. 14.

Success rate is the quotient of completed tasks and the total number of tasks multiplied

Web Portal Information Services Usability was measured in terms of two indicators –

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15.

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by 100%.

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Frequency of Use (Frequency) refers to how often the participants use the web portal in a

Satisfaction of Use (Satisfaction) refers to the subjective rating of how pleasant it is to

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17.

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week.

use the web portal elements and how the WPIS fulfilled the educational and information needs of

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the users.

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Methodology Study 1

This descriptive study was conducted in one of the universities in Manila. The university

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frequency (Frequency) and satisfaction (Satisfaction) of use of WPIS.

has a student web portal that provides information services (See Figures 2 and 3.). The WPIS is capable of storing, processing, and disseminating information for students’ perusal. They can download lecture notes (Figure 2-a) and relevant forms (Figure 2-b), evaluate teacher’s performance (Figure 2-e), participate in a forum (Figure 3-d), and view class schedule (Figure 2-

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d), subjects taken (Figure 2-c), account balances (Figure 3-a), grades (Figure 3-b) and subject offerings (Figure 3-c). The study utilized a questionnaire in data gathering. The questionnaire had four parts. The first

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part gathered demographic data of the participants in terms of age, gender, year level, presence

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of computer access at home, Internet access at home, and computer self-efficacy (e.g., duration of web portal usage, computer usage skills, and Internet usage skills). The second part included

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self-initiative. Evaluation of the web portal design-related factors in terms of effectiveness of the

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information services, ease of use, content, availability, speed, and aesthetics were the third part

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of the questionnaire.

The last part collected information on the usability of the information services of the web portal

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in terms of frequency and satisfaction of use on the WPIS. The information services of the web portal entailed downloading of lectures, downloading of on-the-job training forms, evaluating

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online teacher’s evaluation form, visiting a forum, and viewing class schedule, taken subjects, account balances, grades, and subject offerings (See Figures 2 and 3.). The questionnaire can be answered in 5-10 minutes time. The items of the student-related factors, web portal designrelated factors, and usability of the WPIS are shown in Tables 1-3.

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student-related factors in terms of commitment to the use of the WPIS, isomorphic pressures, and

Participants used the five-point Likert type scale (1 – Strongly disagree to 5 – Strongly agree) on answering each question of student-related factors, web portal design-related factors, and satisfaction of use of WPIS. On the other hand, frequency of use of information services was measured using the scale of 1 (never) to 5 (very often). Computer self-efficacy was measured in

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terms of duration of use of the web portal (1 – less than one semester usage, 2 – one semester, 3 – two semesters, 4 – three semesters, 5 – four semesters, and 6 – more than 4 semesters), computer and Internet usage skills (1 – Not skilled to 5 – Highly skilled).

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There was an almost equal number of participants in terms of gender (male, f = 89, 51%; female,

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f = 85, 49%). The participants’ average age was 19 years old. All colleges of the university were represented (Arts and Sciences, f = 29, 17%; Business Administration, f = 45, 26%; Computer

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Studies, f = 28, 16%; Dentistry, f = 41, 24%; Education, f = 10, 6%; and Engineering, f = 21,

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12%). Every school level was also represented (first year, f = 20, 12%; second year, f = 72, 41%; third year, f = 29, 17%; fourth year, f = 52, 30%; and fifth year, f = 1, 1%). Most had computer (f = 162, 93%) and Internet (f = 158, 91%) access at home. Before the questionnaires were distributed, it was pretested to 40 students to determine its

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The survey forms were distributed to all six colleges of the university. There were 18,649 students in the university at the time of the study. Using Sloven’s formula, the computed sample size was 100 (n = 1/(1 + Ne2); e = 0.10; N = 18,649). The questionnaires were distributed during class sessions. Class sections were randomly selected. Classroom numbers were written on a piece of paper and randomly picked out. With the permission of the teacher, the questionnaire was distributed to their students. The teacher assisted the researchers in distributing the forms. It was decided to distribute the survey forms in this location because of time constraint (i.e., less disruption of classes). Two hundred forty survey forms were distributed (40 survey forms per college) to accommodate non-usable forms. There were 174 usable forms retrieved and these were all used in the analysis. Data gathering lasted for one month. No monetary incentives were given to the participants due to a university policy.

validity and reliability. The students in the pretest were excluded in the sample. Factor analysis with a threshold of 0.50 and Cronbach’s alpha values of at least 0.70 were employed to determine the validity and reliability of the instrument, respectively. The results of the validity and reliability tests were shown in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3.

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Canonical correlation analysis was employed in an attempt to address the research gap. The canonical variates were interpreted as beta coefficients (Meyers et al., 2013). Variates with at least 0.30 value were retained and interpreted.

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Study 2 The second study gathered subjective and objective measures of usability. In terms of the

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subjective measures, the same instrument in Study 1 was utilized. Time completion of tasks

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components of the objective measure of usability. Participants were given five tasks to complete.

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These were downloading a lecture, showing the semester the participants have taken a programming course, showing the room or laboratory assignment of their first class, showing the

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grade in a programming course, and finding the posted announcement by a teacher in an online forum. Participants were given five minutes to complete each task. The experiment was

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conducted in one laboratory with an Internet connection of 22 Mbps.

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The researcher gave the tasks to the participants. The observer in turn recorded the length of time the participants spent doing the tasks. The participants would inform the observer that the task was completed. Problems encountered in using the WPIS were gathered through interviews. Interviews were conducted after all tasks were completed. Data gathering lasted for three weeks.

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(measured in seconds), problems encountered in doing the tasks, and success rates were the

The participants (n = 86) of the study consisted of second (f = 43, 50%), third (f = 33, 38%), and fourth (f = 10, 12%) year computing (Computer Science and Information Technology) students enrolled in human-computer interaction course. Since the tasks to be completed are teacherdependent (e.g., if teachers do not use the portal, the student has nothing to download), only the

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students of the researcher were involved. There were 87 students but only 86 participated. The one non-participating students did not complete the experiment due to absences. No monetary incentives were given to the participants since this was not allowed by the university. Instead,

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participants received a 50-point credit as a seatwork. There were 68 (79%) male and 18 (21%) female participants. The average age of the participants was 19 years old. Canonical correlation

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was employed to determine which of the subjective and objective measures could influence the

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Results

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Table 4 shows the student-related factors in terms of computer self-efficacy, commitment to the use of the WPIS, isomorphic pressure, and self-initiative. Students in Study 2 had been

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using the WPIS longer (at least 5 semesters) than the students in Study 1 (at least 4 semesters). Students in Study 2 were more skilled in using the computer (mean = 3.62) and the Internet

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(mean = 3.90) than the students in Study 1 (Computer skill = 3.40; Internet usage skill = 3.48). Study 2 participants were more committed to the use of the WPIS (mean = 3.51) than the Study 1 participants (mean = 3.24). The findings showed that that isomorphic pressure played a role in using the system to a lesser extent for both set of participants (Study 1, normative pressure = 2.89; Study 2, normative pressure = 2.98). On the other hand, they reported it was their own

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web portal usability services.

decision to utilize the WPIS. As can be gleaned from Table 5, both set of participants agreed that the WPIS was easy to use (Study 1 = 3.51; Study 2 = 3.80). They perceived that the content (Study 1 = 3.87; Study 2 = 3.76) of the WPIS was adequate. The software got favorable mean ratings of 3.89 in terms of availability for both set of participants. This indicates that it was accessible whenever the

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students need the information services of the web portal. They perceived that the WPIS was an effective (Study 1 = 3.89; Study 2 = 3.80) tool as an information provider. Availability and effectiveness got the highest mean ratings. Study 2 participants had lower mean rating in terms of speed (mean = 3.48) and aesthetics (mean = 3.33) than the Study 1 participants (Speed, mean = 3.60; Aesthetics, mean = 3.76). Overall, all participants perceived that the WPIS had a good design.

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Table 6 shows the time to complete task and the success rates in completing the 5 tasks of

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participants in Study 2. The fastest task completed was finding the message posted in the forum.

Meanwhile, the slowest task completed was finding the semester where the Study 2 participants

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seconds. At the first task, it has been observed that 20 participants had difficulty in using the

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portal. They tended to click every button in the dashboard (Figure 2-f) while trying to find the appropriate button. However, after the first task was completed, they learned which button was

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appropriate for the task at hand and no problems were encountered afterwards. Follow up interviews with the 20 participants confirmed that they were in agreement that they clicked many

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buttons because they wanted to memorize first the interface of the system.

Table 7 shows the usability ratings of both sets of participants. Both sets of participants least utilized the downloading of OJT forms (Study 1 = 2.17; Study 2 = 1.94). Use of online teachers’ evaluation form (Study 1 = 3.30; Study 2 = 3.45), viewing of subject offerings (Study 1 = 3.40;

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took the Introductory Programming. Interestingly, all tasks were completed in less than 30

Study 2 = 3.12), and visiting of forums (Study 1 = 2.94; Study 2 = 2.15) were utilized on occasional basis. The most utilized information service was viewing of grades (Study 1 = 3.91; Study 2 = 4.26). Both participants of the study used the WPIS on a regular basis in terms of downloading of lectures (Study 1 = 3.57; Study 2 = 3.90). However, Study 1 participants had

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higher usage of the WPIS in terms of viewing of class schedule (Study 1 = 3.57), viewing of subjects taken (Study 1 = 3.62), and viewing of account balances (mean = 3.53) than the Study 2 participants (viewing of class schedule = 3.34; viewing of subjects taken = 3.38; viewing of

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account balances = 3.38). Lastly, they were satisfied with the WPIS (Study 1 = 3.75; Study 2 =

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Tables 8-10 show the results of canonical correlation analysis on the data. Success rate was excluded in the analysis since all tasks were completed successfully. Two functions were extracted in the analysis in both studies. In the first study, the first function had an eigenvalue of 1.84 with an associated variance of 91%. The canonical correlation and its squared value between variates were found to be 0.80 and 0.65, respectively. On one hand, the second function had an eigenvalue of 0.19 with 9% explained variance. The canonical correlation and the squared value of the second function were found to be 0.40 and 0.16, respectively. It was found out that the relationship between the sets of variables was statistically significant (Wilks’ lambda = 0.30, Rc2 = 0.70, Approximate F(24,318) = 11.17, p < 0.001). The Cramer-Nicewander Index is 0.40.

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In Study 2, the first function had an eigenvalue of 2.47 with an associated variance of 92%. The canonical correlation and its squared value between variates were found to be 0.84 and 0.42,

ed

respectively. The second function had an eigenvalue of 0.22 with 8% explained variance. The

ce pt

canonical correlation and the squared value of the second function were found to be 0.42 and 0.18, respectively. The relationship between the sets of variables was statistically significant (Wilks’ lambda = 0.24, Rc2 = 0.76, Approximate F(26,142) = 5.78, p < 0.001). The CramerNicewander Index is 0.44.

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cr

3.70).

Dimension reduction analysis (Table 9) showed that both roots were statistically significant. However, upon inspection of eigenvalues and squared canonical correlations, only the first functions of both studies could contribute to explaining the issue under study. Thus, only the first functions were retained and explained in the analysis.

19

Table 10 shows the structure coefficients of the two canonical functions for both studies. However, as mentioned above, only the fist functions were interpreted. Variates with structure coefficient (Rc) of less than 0.30 were not interpreted. The results in Study 1 shows that

ip t

Initiative (Rc = 0.66), Effectiveness (Rc = 0.82), Content (Rc = 0.89), Availability (Rc = 0.64), Speed (Rc = 0.77), and Aesthetics (Rc = 0.63) both predicted Frequency of Use (Rc = 0.68) and

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Satisfaction (Rc = 0.92). The final canonical model is shown in Figure 4. It is worth noting that

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0.86; Ease of Use = 0.68; Content = 0.69; Availability = 0.69; Speed = 0.66; and Aesthetics =

an

0.34) were also the predictors in Study 1 with an addition of Commitment (Rc = 0.76). Time to

ed

Discussion

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complete the tasks was not a significant predictor of Frequency of Use and Satisfaction.

This study attempted to determine the multiple factors that influenced both frequency and

ce pt

satisfaction of use of web portal information services. Toward this aim, two studies were conducted. The first study solicited subjective measures of usability. The second study solicited subjective and objective measures of usability. It was revealed that participants of both studies were knowledgeable about the WPIS. However, participants in the first study reported that they were skilled in using computers and the Internet to a moderate extent. On the other hand, the

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the predictors of Frequency of Use and Satisfaction in Study 2 (Initiative = 0.56; Effectiveness =

participants in the second study disclosed that they were skilled in using computers and the Internet. This is not surprising since Study 2 participants are exposed to computers and the Internet.

20

It was shown that Study 1 participants were less committed to using the WPIS than the Study 2 participants. However, both set of participants further revealed that teachers, classmates, and friends had a slight influence in persuading them to use the WPIS. They attributed their use of

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the WPIS to their self-initiative. It must be noted that there is no institutional policy enjoining the use of the WPIS and that there is no equivalent grade incentives or recognition given to students

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who used the WPIS. They utilized the WPIS not because of pressures from external forces or

us

This finding can be explained by the fact that students had a high appreciation on the

an

effectiveness of the system. They perceived that the WPIS saves time and effort in storing and retrieving information since it provides accessible information. For example, before WPIS was

M

installed in the university, students tracked their credit units by accumulating their grade cards. Students had to keep these records throughout their college years in order to keep track of their

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earned units. Students may lose these records through the course of time. On the other hand,

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WPIS offered viewing of taken subjects with accompanying grades. These capabilities allowed students to keep track of the subjects they have already taken and may use this information to plan on the courses they will be taken on the following semesters. The convenience of having this information anytime, anywhere resulted to its high rating.

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they were obliged to do so; instead, it was their own decision to use the WPIS.

Moreover, WPIS is able to store and disseminate lecture notes of teachers. These educational materials can be distributed electronically by a teacher to all students before, during, or after class sessions. Students can save time and costs of photocopying the materials since these are automatically sent to their individual accounts. Each student will receive the teacher’s lecture

21

notes and therefore, can have equal access to information. These files will be available throughout the semester and may be downloaded whenever they are needed. Study 1 participants utilized frequently five of the nine elements of WPIS while Study 2

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participants frequently used two information services. Both participants used downloading of

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lectures and viewing of grades frequently. They were in agreement that downloading of OJT forms, online teachers’ evaluation, viewing of subject offerings, and visiting forums were

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since they were only done on semestral basis. For instance, evaluating a teacher’s performance is

an

only conducted once a semester. This is also the same with downloading of OJT forms and viewing of subject offerings. As to forums, students will only visit this module when a teacher

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has to post an important announcement that the latter had forgotten to disseminate during the

ed

class.

Meanwhile, it can be noted that all participants had high satisfaction on the information

ce pt

services provided by the web portal. They agreed that the services were suited to their needs and they were pleased with them. They perceived that it was a right decision to use the WPIS. Bringula and Basa (2011) argued that usability of a system was a combination of frequency of use and satisfaction. This present study provided empirical evidence that the whole picture of

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utilized on occasional basis. It is understandable that these services were not fully optimized

usability was both explained by frequency and satisfaction of use.

WPIS was evaluated in terms of its design dimensions. Both sets of participants perceived that the information services were designed effectively. They further believed that the software was easy to use. Availability, effectiveness, and content had the top mean ratings of all the factors.

22

These findings revealed that participants perceived that the WPIS services are available whenever they need them. It is a good indication that the University is committed to providing the students valuable, comprehensive, reliable, and appropriate information that are easily

ip t

obtainable whenever the need arises. However, Study 2 participants had lower ratings in terms of Speed and Aesthetics. This can be explained by the fact that Study 2 participants are exposed to

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more advanced and faster computers and are very knowledgeable in website designs.

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the WPIS is appropriate to the needs of the organization and students; hence, the objectives of

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the WPIS were achieved.

The results of the laboratory experiment shown in Table 6 showed that it was very easy for the

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participants to find the message posted in the forum. This is because posted messages of a teacher are automatically shown at the left side of the dashboard. In this manner, students are

ed

quickly notified about posted messages. On the other hand, it took a longer time to identify the

ce pt

semester the participants took Introductory Programming course. This is because students had to scroll through the web pages and find the specific school year and semester of a course. Remarkably, all these tasks were completed within a span of less than 30 seconds. Canonical correlation analysis showed that both studies confirmed that the combination of

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Nonetheless, all participants had favorable ratings in the overall design of the WPIS. To this end,

independent variables such as initiative, effectiveness of the WPIS, ease of use, content, availability, speed, and aesthetics both predicted frequency and satisfaction of use. It is interesting to note that commitment was found to be a unique significant predictor in Study 2. All predictor and predicted variables proved positive. These indicate that the increased frequency

23

and satisfaction of use of WPIS all accounted for the positive initiative of the students to use the WPIS, commitment to the use of the WPIS, clear-cut effectiveness of the WPIS, and welldesigned WPIS.

ip t

Initiative was a consistent indicator of student-related factors that influenced usability of WPIS.

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The finding implies that external forces such as influence of other people were not necessary to attain usability of the WPIS. Instead, the internal drive of the students due to realization of the

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imposing the use of the technology, educational technology developers and school administrators

an

should ensure that the technology is relevant to the information needs of the stakeholders. In other words, relevant information services warrant usability of the system. In fact, canonical

ed

predictors.

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correlation analysis revealed that Content had the highest predictive coefficient of all the

For Study 2 participants, commitment further explains the variability in the WPIS usability. This

ce pt

factor was not found significant in the first study. This offers a clear finding in web portal services usability. As previously shown, Study 2 participants had lower rating in terms of speed and aesthetics of the WPIS. While they may perceived that the portal had relatively slow web page loading and a moderately acceptable design, commitment ensures utilization of the WPIS.

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benefits of using WPIS urges them to use the technology. The result suggests that instead of

In fact, commitment had the second highest structure coefficient in predicting WPIS usability. Thus, commitment is a binding force for technical users to use the WPIS. It is worth noting that two variables of student-related factors (i.e., initiative and commitment) and all of the design-related factors predicted WPIS usability. The result is a vivid contribution

24

to information systems management in the context of web portal information services. First, the result indicates that initiative, commitment, and design-related factors influence the two dimensions of WPIS usability. Second, it was shown that WPIS usability was more sensitive to

ip t

design-related factors. In order to ensure that the information services are used optimally, web designers are encouraged to plan meticulously the development of the system. Initial interviews

cr

or participatory approach may be employed to determine the students’ needs.

us

in other studies where effectiveness was considered as a dimension of usability, this study

an

purported that it was a design factor. The result of the study showed that effectiveness was indeed a design factor and not as an outcome of a usable system. This discrepancy can be

M

explained by the fact that usability is context-dependent as suggested by Sindhuja and Dastidar (2009), and Granic et al. (2011). The finding implies that usability would be achieved if it was

ed

designed effectively in the first place. In other words, usability starts at the successful and

ce pt

effective design considerations (Snider and Martin, 2012). It can be noticed that all design factors influenced both usability indicators. In terms of ease of use, the findings of the study were found to be similar to the studies of Tarafdar and Zhang (2005), and Santosa (2009). This confirms that usable web portal services are a product of an

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It is worth noting that effectiveness of the WPIS was a significant predictor of usability. Unlike

easy-to-use design. Similarly, the quick response time of the web pages positively influence usability of the WPIS. Tarafdar and Zhang (2005) were in agreement with this finding. Availability of its appropriate, relevant, and up-to-date content ensures higher frequency of usage and satisfaction. These were in agreement with the findings of Tarafdar and Zhang (2005),

25

Cheung and Lee (2009), and Bringula (2013). This study also supports the findings of Teoh et al. (2009), Wells et al. (2011), and Liao et al. (2011) in terms of aesthetics. Lastly, the study revealed that WPIS usability entails combination of technical and non-technical

ip t

aspects. Nonetheless, the technical design considerations outweigh the non-technical aspects.

cr

This is because the barrier of non-familiarity or lack of skills in using computers and the Internet

can be addressed through training and orientation. In contrast, users cannot do an outright change

us

M

an

software developers heed to the design recommendations of the users.

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Conclusions, Limitations, and Recommendations This study attempted to determine if the combination of the student-, web portal design-, and

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objective measure-related factors might explain the usability of web portal information services. It was revealed that initiative and commitment of student-related factors and all factors of design considerations positively influenced both the frequency and satisfaction of use of the WPIS. Thus, the null hypothesis stating that the predictor variable set cannot explain any of the variance

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to the design of the features of the WPIS. Changes in the system can only be instituted when the

of the dependent variables was rejected. Initiative and commitment, not isomorphic pressure, positively influenced the frequency and satisfaction of use of WPIS. This may be attributed to the participants’ affirmative perception of relevant content of the WPIS. It can be concluded that while the usability of the WPIS were both

26

influenced by technical and non-technical aspects, the system was more sensitive to the former factors. The study provided empirical evidence that usability was both measured in terms of frequency and satisfaction of use. Further, contrary to popular notion, it was revealed that

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effectiveness of a system was a design consideration and not an outcome of usability.

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The canonical model presented by the study had an explanatory power of at most 44%. This

means 44% in the variability of usability of the WPIS accounted for the predictor variables. The

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to-date-ness of exam schedule and important dates (Snider and Martin, 2012) may be included as

an

possible predictor variables. Attitudes towards the use of the WPIS may also be incorporated (Tarafdar and Zhang, 2005; Santosa, 2009). Learnability of a system may also contribute in

M

increasing the predictive power of the model (Joo and Lee, 2011).

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At the time the study was conducted, the web portals of two other schools were in the development stage. Initial interviews with the researcher’s colleagues revealed that the portal of

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another school has its own portal design. Some of the features (e.g., student enrolment, uploading /downloading of lectures) are not yet present in other schools’ portal. The researcher found that it would be difficult to evaluate other portals with different designs and capabilities. Inclusion of other student web portal services may not be plausible at this moment.

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remaining variability may be explained by other variables not captured in the present study. Up-

In light of these limitations, it is recommended that excluded variables be included in future investigations. In terms of practice, the results are valuable in ensuring the web portal information services usability. The findings may serve as guide for web portal developers. Finally, it will be easier for school administrators to convince its stakeholders to use the web

27

portal information services by emphasizing the convenience and relevance of using the technology.

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Figure 1. Research Framework of the Study

Independent Variables

Dependent Variables

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Duration CompSkill

cr

InternetSkill

us

Pressure

Effectiveness

SR- and WP Design-Related Factors

Availability Speed

ce pt

Aesthetics

ed

Content

WPIS Usabilit

M

Ease

an

Initiative

Time to Complete Task

Success Rate

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Commit

33

Frequency Satisfaction

us an M

(b) OJT Online Form

ce pt

ed

(a) Lecture Notes

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cr

ip t

Figure 2. Student Web Portal Information Services

(c) Subjects Taken

(d) Class Schedule

34

ip t cr us

an

(f) Student Portal Dashboarb

ce pt

ed

M

Performance

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(e) Online Student Evaluation on Faculty

35

us an

(b) Grades Viewer

ce pt

ed

M

(a) Account Balances

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cr

ip t

Figure 3. Web Portal Information Services (continuation)

(d) Forum

(c) Subject Offering

36

Figure 4. Canonical Correlation between the Canonical Variates (Study 1) Initiative 0 66 0 62

Ease Content

SR- and WP Design-Related Factors

0 89

0 80

Speed 0 63

ce pt

ed

M

an

Aesthetics

0 92

us

0 77

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Availability

0 68

Frequency

Satisfaction

cr

0 64

WPIS Usabilit

ip t

Effectiveness

37

Figure 5. Canonical Correlation between the Canonical Variates (Study 2)

Commitment 0 76

0 56 0 86 SR- and WP Design-Related Factors

Ease

0 69

Availability 0 66

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Speed 0 34

ce pt

ed

M

Aesthetics

WPIS Usabilit

0 71

0 97

us

0 69

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Content

0 84

Frequency

cr

Effectiveness

ip t

Initiative

38

Satisfaction

Table 1. Validity and Reliability of Student-Related Factors factor loadings

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Indicators

cr

(f.l.)

0.757

0.656

0.872

ed

M

I feel obliged to use the portal.

I am dedicated to use the portal.

us

an

No matter how busy, I find time to use the portal.

0.878

One of my responsibilities is to use the portal.

0.821

ce pt

Using the portal is one of the duties of a student.

Isomorphic Pressure (α = 0.810)

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Commitment to the Use of the WPIS (α = 0.854)

My classmates are using the portal so I have to use it too.

39

0.899

0.838

My teachers are using the portal so I have to use it too.

0.841

ip t

My friends are using the portal so I have to use it too.

0.621

cr

My teachers are requiring us to use the portal.

us an

It is my own decision to use the portal.

0.785

0.717

M

I use the portal even without university policy.

I use the online library resources in the portal even without additional

ed

0.864

ce pt

grade incentives.

I use the online library resources in the portal without thinking of recognition.

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Self-initiative (α = 0.799)

40

0.805

Table 2. Validity and Reliability of Web Portal Design-Related Factors Indicators

f.l.

ip t

Effectiveness of Information Services (α = 0.890)

us

cr

0.936

an

Services offered in the portal saves effort.

M

Services offered in the portal increase my effectiveness in learning.

0.909

0.899

0.723

ed

Services offered in the portal increases access to information.

ce pt

Ease of Use (α = 0.907)

All links redirect the user to the correct web pages.

0.854

All links redirect the user to working web pages.

0.882

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Services offered in the portal saves time.

Users can easily go from one web page to another.

0.790

Users do not feel “lost” or “confused” when browsing web pages.

0.803

41

0.848

Services offered by the portal are easy to use.

0.788

ip t

There are no “dead” links – links that do not function.

cr

Content (α = 0.870)

us

0.902

an

Services offered are reliable.

ed

Availability (α = 0.871)

0.884

0.890

M

Services offered are appropriate to my needs.

ce pt

The portal is always accessible – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

0.611

The portal can be accessed at home.

0.737

The portal can be accessed at internet cafés.

0.815

Downloading of online library resources is always available.

0.856

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Services offered are comprehensive.

42

0.831

Services offered by the portal are always available.

0.862

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Services offered by the portal are always functional.

cr

Speed (α = 0.909)

us

0.882

M

Search results are presented quickly.

an

Web pages responded fast to online search.

0.904

0.920

0.848

ed

The portal does not hang when downloading multiple files.

ce pt

Aesthetics (α = 0.940)

The layout of the portal is attractive.

0.737

The portal has a pleasant atmosphere.

0.882

The portal has a comfortable atmosphere.

0.893

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Web pages are accessed fast.

43

0.886

The colors that are used on the portal do not strain the eyes.

0.929

ip t

The colors that are used on the portal are attractive.

0.806

cr

Font sizes and font styles are legible.

ce pt

ed

M

an

us

0.870

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Overall, I find that the portal looks attractive.

44

Table 3. Validity and Reliability of Usability of WPIS Indicators

f.l.

us

cr

0.846

ed

Viewing class schedule

M

Evaluating teacher’s performance

an

Downloading OJT forms

0.621

0.803

0.819

0.879

ce pt

Viewing list of taken subjects

Viewing of account balances

0.862

Viewing of grades

0.859

Ac

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Downloading lecture notes

ip t

Frequency of Use of Information Services (α = 0.876)*

Viewing of subject offerings

0.905

Visiting a forum

0.820

45

Satisfaction of Use of Information Services (α = 0.854)

0.842

ip t

I am pleased with the services offered by the portal.

us an M ed ce pt Ac

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Using services offered by the portal is a wise decision.

0.905

cr

Services offered by the portal are suited to my needs.

46

0.907

Table 4. Student-Related Factors

Mean

Study 2

Verbal

Mean

Verbal

Interpretation

us

Interpretation

Web Portal

an

5.33

M

Computer Self-efficacy

Computer Usage Skill

3.40

Moderately skilled

3.62

Skilled

Internet Usage Skill

3.48

Moderately skilled

3.90

Skilled

3.24

Moderately agree

3.51

Agree

2.89

Moderately agree

2.98

More than 4

Duration of Use of the 4.14

ce pt

ed

semesters

More than 5 semesters

Commitment to the Use of the Web Portal IS

Ac

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ip t

Study 1

cr

Student-Related Factors

Moderately

Normative Pressure to Use

agree

the Web Portal IS

47

ed

ce pt

Ac

ip t

cr

us

an

M

Downloaded by [Rex Bringula] at 02:40 13 June 2016

Self-initiative to Use the 3.74 Agree

48

3.65 Agree

Web Portal IS

ip t

Table 5. Web Portal Design-Related Factors Study 1

Study 2

Verbal

Mean

Verbal Interpretation

Mean

3.89

Agree

3.80

Agree

Ease of Use

3.51

Agree

3.66

Agree

Content

3.87

Agree

3.76

Agree

Availability

3.89

Agree

3.89

Agree

Speed

3.60

Agree

3.48

Moderately agree

Aesthetics

3.76

Agree

3.33

Moderately agree

Overall mean

3.75

Agee

3.65

Agree

ce pt

ed

M

an

Effectiveness

us

Interpretation

Ac

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Factors

cr

Design

49

Table 6. Time Spent Completing a Task and Success Rates % of Participants Completed Task

Time Spent (seconds)

semester

of 12.1

an

Introductory Programming

Finding the schedule of a first

ce pt

Introductory Algebra

ed

Finding the grade of the

100%

100%

M

7.7

class

100%

cr

the

7.5

100%

6.8

100%

8.6

100%

Find the message posted in the forum

Ac

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Finding

8.94

us

Downloading a lecture

ip t

the Task

AVERAGE

50

Table 7. Frequency and Satisfaction of Use of Web Portal Information Services (WPIS) Verbal

Verbal Usability

Mean

Mean

Interpretation

ip t

Interpretation

3.57

Often

Downloading of OJT forms

2.17

us

cr

Downloading of lectures

Often

Sometimes

3.45

Sometimes

3.57

Often

3.34

Sometimes

Viewing of subjects taken

3.62

Often

3.38

Sometimes

Viewing of account balances

3.53

Often

3.38

Sometimes

Viewing of grades

3.91

Often

4.26

Often

Viewing of subject offerings

3.40

Sometimes

3.12

Sometimes

an

Rarely

Using online teachers’ evaluation

Rarely

3.90

1.94

M

3.30

ed

form

ce pt

Viewing of class schedule

Ac

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Frequency of Use of WPIS

51

Visiting of forums

Sometimes

2.15

Rarely

3.33

Sometimes

3.27

Sometimes

3.74

Agree

ip t

Overall Mean

2.94

3.57

us

Agree

Agree

3.59

Agree

3.73

ed

Agree

3.73

Agree

Overall Mean

3.75

Agree

3.70

Agree

Services offered by the portal are

an

offered by the portal.

3.77

M

suited to my needs.

Using services offered by the portal

ce pt

is a wise decision.

Ac

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I am pleased with the services

cr

Satisfaction of Use of WPIS

52

ip t

Table 8. Eigenvalues, Cumulative Percentage Variance, and Squared Canonical Correlation for Each Canonical Function

Canonic

d Canoni

Eigenv

Varia

al

ion

alue

nce

Correlat

Explai

ions

1.84

91

0.80

ce pt

1

2

0.19

d

Eigenv

Varia

al

Canoni

alue

nce

Correlat

cal

Correla

Explai

ions

Correla

tion

ned

cal

ed

ned

Canonic

M

Funct

9

0.40

Square

t

an

t

Percen

us

Square

tion

0.65

2.47

92

0.84

0.71

0.16

0.22

8

0.42

0.18

Wilks’ Lambda = 0.30

Wilks’ Lambda = 0.24

Rc2 = 0.70

Rc2 = 0.76

Approximate F(24,318) = 11.17

Approximate F(26,142) = 5.78

Ac

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Percen

Study 2

cr

Study 1

53

p < 0.001

Cramer-Nicewander Index = 0.40

Cramer-Nicewander Index = 0.44

us an M ed ce pt Ac

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cr

ip t

p < 0.001

54

ip t

Table 9. Dimension Reduction Analysis Study 1

Study 2

Sig.

1 to 2

0.30

11.17

0.000

2 to 2

0.84

2.73

cr

F

Wilks L.

F

Sig.

5.78

0.000

1.32

0.225

us

Wilks L.

0.24

an

ce pt

ed

M

0.003

Ac

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Roots

55

0.82

ip t

Table 10. Structure Coefficients for the First Two Predictor Canonical Variates and Two Dependent Canonical Variates Study 1

Study 2

cr

Predictor Variables

us

Duration of Use of Web

-0.17

0.42

0.02

-0.28

0.23

0.01

0.05

-0.34

Commitment

-0.08

-0.39

0.76

-0.13

Normative

-0.24

-0.39

0.27

-0.20

Initiative

0.66

0.18

0.56

0.17

Effectiveness

0.82

-0.31

0.86

0.08

an

0.11

Ac

Portal

0.21

ed

Computer Usage Skill

0.19

M

0.002

Internet Usage Skill

ce pt

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Function 1 Function 2 Function 1 Function 2

56

-0.44

0.68

0.42

Content

0.89

-0.11

0.69

0.48

Availability

0.64

-0.30

0.69

Speed

0.77

0.01

Aesthetics

0.63

cr 0.66

us -

0.04

0.001

0.34

0.52

-0.28

-0.06

M

-

ed

Function 1 Function 2 Function 1 Function 2

0.68

0.738

0.71

-0.70

0.92

-0.404

0.97

0.26

ce pt

Frequency of Use

Satisfaction

-0.28

an

Time Completion

Dependent Variables

ip t

0.44

Ac

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Ease

57