Understanding leadership role of university management and governance in promoting innovation and use of learning management systems in Ghanaian Universities

Abstract

The integration of e-learning technologies into course delivery has given rise to the adoption of Learning Management Systems (LMS’s) which has become a critical component of the educational process in the “new normal” of world order after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although leadership is supposed to promote positive consequences in the workplace, universities appear to be conditioned by traditional processes and thus find it difficult to accept change, thereby preventing the adoption of innovation. Additionally, in the pursuit of innovation, the internal culture of a strong institution may also be a significant preventive factor. The Study explored the leadership role of university management and governance in promoting innovation and use of learning management systems in universities in Ghana. Purposive random sampling was used to select two hundred and ten (210) respondents from the accessible population based on their relevance with regards to the phenomenon under investigation.

Mixed methods of the sequential explanatory design were the research design for the study. This method approach was used to obtain different but complementary data on the topic to best address the research problem. To link the quantitative and qualitative findings, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered and analysed separately before being combined into one overall interpretation. Combining the quantitative and qualitative research paradigms with the other theoretical perspectives helped to elucidate the issues concerning the use of Learning Management Systems and how their successful implementation is dependent on the leadership role played by both management and governance in universities. The study reveals that, as a result of the growing student population and the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of Learning Management Systems to facilitate teaching and learning has become critical in the expansion of universities. The findings show that implementing innovation in universities requires management-level policy, clear objectives, strategy, leadership and commitment, funding, and priorities that meet user needs