User acceptance of systems for archiving and securing degree certificates and related documents.
Year: 2019
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Changing economic circumstances have led to the investigation of alternative solutions to \neconomic problems. This has had an impact on communities who see academic qualifications \nas a solution to securing employment. With the increase in job opportunities requiring suitable \nqualifications, an increase in ‘qualification competition’ has occurred. This has resulted in \nacademic qualifications being seen as a ‘key’ to securing employment. Unfortunately, such a \nperception has caused many individuals to pursue opportunities using ‘quick fix’ solutions and \nacquiring academic qualifications through breaches of security around these qualifications. \nHigher Education is one of the many sectors that is battling with security issues of this type. In \nSouth Africa alone, for the past few years, there has been a considerable increase in cases of \npersons who have been found to have faked either their senior certificates or university \ndegrees, including doctorates. This is becoming a growing concern as it taints the image of the \nhigher education sector in South Africa, and places at risk international relationshipsin higher \neducation and beyond that the country has enjoyed over many years. \nMany education sectors are based on security systems in which the basic data of a person’s \nname and surname, for example, are retained when they graduateand the qualification they \nhave legitimately received is recorded. This data is used when a re-print of a certificate is \nrequired. Though this method has been working well for some time, it has developed major \nflaws, in line with the sophistication of information and communications technology in \ngeneral. This applies especially to the ability to edit e-versions of a certificate using image \nprocessing software. Thus, proper verification of the data captured in an e-version or hardcopy \nof a certificate (when reprinted, for example), represents an increasing risk, and, in some \ncases, results in a breach of security. Furthermore, some individuals have found ways to e-edit \nand print their own certificates, which look effectively identical to the authenticated \ncertificates. \nWhile the emerging trend in various sectors is to store all data using the appropriate technology \ntools as a security measure for protecting information, organizations are becoming exposed to \ncybercrimes. As a result, data security has increasingly become a cause for concern. What is \nmost disturbing, is that computer security breaches have increased, and in many cases, shown \nto be the result of ‘insider misuse and abuse’ of the information security measures established \nby an organization. It is for this reason that the current study and the work reported in this \nthesis has been undertaken and involves a focus on understanding what causes users to accept \nand follow an organization’s information systems security measures. The study is informed by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), \nas a framework to explore securing and archiving academic transcripts at the University of \nKwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The results showed that the intention of the UKZN staff to use the \nsystem positively, relates to their performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence \nand facilitating conditions. The use of UTAUT in a mixed methods study within an academic \nenvironment assesses the existing measures of securing and archiving academic transcripts and \nidentifies various weaknesses in the current system. Based on the findings of the study, the \nsteganographic method is demonstrated and suggested as an improved method of securing and \narchiving academic certificates at UKZN. \nThe original contribution is an in-depth study at UKZN that answered the user acceptance \nresearch questions and demonstrated the practical application of the steganographic method in \nsecuring and archiving data.
Author: Philisiwe Joyce. Myeza
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3180188012