E-ISSN 2039-2117 ISSN 2039-9340 Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER Publishing, Rome-Italy Vol 5 No 4 March 2014 390 Perceived Inhibitors of Innovative E-Learning Teaching Practice at a South African University of Technology Mr Anthony Kiryagana Isabirye Lecturer: Department of Human Resource Management Vaal University of Technology, Private Bag X021, Vanderbijlpark, 1900 Email: anthonyi@vut.ac.za Nobukhosi Dlodlo Lecturer: Department of Marketing and Sport Management Faculty of Management Sciences, Vaal University of Technology Private Bag X021, Vanderbijlpark, 1900 Email: nobukhosid@vut.ac.za Doi:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n4p390 Abstract This qualitative study explored the perceived inhibitors of e-learning teaching practice through the experiences of ten academics identified at a university of technology (UoT). Data were collected through in-depth interviews with participants traced through the snowball sampling technique. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for content analysis through iterative and reflexive procedures. Five inhibitors to e-learning were identified in the study: technical problems, logistical issues, staff resistance to change, absence of e-policy and lack of staff motivation and training. This paper advances the notion that a clear exploration of the significant dimensions that inhibit the successful adoption of e-learning will contribute greatly towards the establishment of mitigating strategies to off-set this undesirable trajectory. The study adds to the body of knowledge in that it elaborates on the implementation of e-learning by identifying the structural and contextual variables that determine its rejection. This will provide management and academics with the impetus to establish policies and structures that minimise these inhibitors. It is also hoped that the study will provide guidance on the management of e-learning-based initiatives among higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. Keywords: E-learning, adoption, inhibitors, innovative teaching practice, University of Technology. 1. Introduction and Background to the Study Since the days of Socrates, teaching has largely involved flesh-and-blood instructors lecturing to their students either beneath a tree or in a brick-and-mortar schoolroom. Today, however, through widespread access to the Internet, online education is enabling professionals to learn from afar, keeping pace with technological and managerial changes despite their heavy schedules. This paradigmatic shift has brought with it far-reaching implications for instructional design and pedagogy in universities (Koohang & Harman, 2005). O’Hearn (2000:29) suggests that contemporary university structures must be adaptable in order to embrace new learning and communications technology, or face the consequence of “limiting students’ direct access to global knowledge repositories that have the ability to extend higher education”. Indeed, an array of transformational enablers exists to provide academics with adequate motivation for rethinking curricula. These may include globalisation (Varis, 2005), commercialisation and internationalisation of higher education (Shapiro, 2000), the inevitable shift from product- based to knowledge-based economies (Engelbrecht, 2003) and changing student profiles and learning styles (Alexander, 2001). Garrison and Kanuka (2004) maintain that curriculum transformations that cater for emerging technologies play a pivotal role in the global competitiveness of universities. Supporting this view is the phenomenal growth evident in the integrated usage of information communication technologies (ICTs) in South African higher education institutions (HEIs). This growth has occurred because the traditional lecture is no longer appealing to the digital natives leading a lifestyle that is wired at anytime and anywhere (Czerniewicz & Brown, 2009). Fry (2001) underscores that, if universities are to compete in a global higher education market, they must utilise current technological advancements as a strategic tool,