19 th Australasian Conference on Information Systems Upgrade Information Systems (IS) Curriculum Dec 2009, Melbourne Richardson & Lenarcic 571 SMS - Push First and Then Students Will Pull Administrative Information in Higher Education? Joan Richardson John Lenarcic School of Business Information Technology RMIT University Melbourne, Australia Abstract This paper describes the pilot of a Short Messaging Service (SMS) technology in the higher education environment dynamic two-way ‘push-pull’ transfer of information between students and academics. Assessment results and reminders were pushed to students and access was provided to information relating to their subject schedules and assessment performance. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using an online student survey underpinned by the Davis’s (1989, 1993) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and focus groups for staff and student participants. The pilot and subsequent review enabled an evaluation of the benefits of SMS in relation to supporting student services, specifically scheduling information and assessment feedback. This paper discusses student and staff uptake of the ‘push-pull’ SMS prototype. Keywords: IS innovation, Diffusion of innovation, Evolutive design, Social technology, Implementation politics, Information infrastructure, Technology trends, Innovation, Innovation diffusion, Mobile commerce INTRODUCTION The primary aim of the pilot was to establish whether embedding Short Messaging Service (SMS) technology had the capacity to enhance the higher education environment by increasing access to University information service reminders and alerts. The project–based methodology supported fast development of the technology prototype in conjunction with the identification of innovative uses of mobile technologies and a holistic and rigorous evaluation of usage of the prototype specifically designed to improve student administrative services. Students voluntarily registered to communicate using SMS and staff input accessible information, via the Web to be blasted on a class basis. Assessment results and reminders were pushed to students and access was provided to information relating to their subject schedules and assessment performance. All messages sent using SMS technology contained information also disseminated to students using Blackboard, the Internet, and email and hardcopy handouts. Typical information included: • Reminders for deadlines for assessment; • Time and location information about lectures and workshops; • Time and location information about examinations and assessment tasks; and • Assignment and exam marks. The 2008 Pearson Education Australia and RMIT University pilot utilised the Trigger Short Messaging Service (SMS) prototype in six courses and enabled dynamic two-way ‘push-pull’ information transfer. A restricted vocabulary of requests for information ‘on-demand’ enabled students to receive time-sensitive data such as assessment feedback, marks, class scheduling and location information updates at minimal cost, irrespective of geographical location. This created the potential to reduce the need for students to access University or home computer systems at peak usage times during the semester. MOBILE COMMUNICATION The Trigger prototype demonstrates fast one-to-many communication and immediate access to facilitator instructions, in real-time. (Platts, 2004) Teachers were able to engage students outside the classroom through the use of targeted SMS reminders for work to be undertaken and alerts for special events. These attributes of SMS enabled Trigger to be used to fulfill Agar (2003) portrayal of the mobile phone as a facilitation tool instituting a state of “constant touch” to dominate between those connected in what has become a ubiquitous social network. To some the mobile phone has distorted itself into a fashion symbol representative of the