Towards a resilient strategy for technology‐enhanced learning

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Hall

PurposeThis paper sets out to argue that the strategic implementation of technology is implicated in a range of crises or socio‐economic disruptions, like peak oil, climate change and the rising environmental costs of energy consumption. It aims to argue that institutional technological implementation is contested, complex and should not be treated deterministically, but that technologists might usefully consider the impact of these disruptions on their practices. The paper seeks to amplify how a focus on resilience, rather than marketised outcomes, can enable higher education to use technology to overcome or adapt to disruption and crises.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a critique. A conceptual analysis of the place of current research into the use of technology‐enhanced learning in higher education is critiqued in light of peak oil and climate change, in order to align strategic developments with disruptions and potential responses. The strategic response of one institution is outlined as a programme‐of‐work, and is related to a second university's approach.FindingsThe paper highlights five areas that require strategic responses to the use of technology in and for HE. These are: the place of TEL in the idea of the University; complexity in the use of technology, linked to shared values; adapting to disruption; institutional planning; and competing priorities for the use of technology.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the educational connections that are made between the politics of technology, shared values and socio‐environmental disruption. It also analyses a programme of work that is designed to engage with and adapt to disruption.

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diogo Casanova ◽  
António Moreira

This paper presents a comprehensive model for supporting informed and critical discussions concerning the quality of Technology-Enhanced Learning in Blended Learning programmes. The model aims to support discussions around domains such as how institutions are prepared, the participants' background and expectations, the course design, and the learning process. The research that supported the design of this model was framed by a Grounded Theory method, combining different approaches to empirical data collection with a review of evaluation models on aspects of the quality of Online and Distance Learning. Throughout the paper, arguments are made that Higher Education institutions need to be more critical with regard to the use of Technology-Enhanced Learning, and to support it as a counterpart to face-to-face learning and teaching. The model provides a framework for teachers in Higher Education to reflect and discuss the quality of Technology-Enhanced Learning in their Blended Learning programmes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-205
Author(s):  
Chin-Chung Tsai

Purpose The purpose of this papers is to provide an overview of how students and teachers in Taiwan conceptualize learning, especially in technology-enhanced learning environments. Their conceptions of learning reveal the extent to which the prevalence of technological use in education has facilitated students to cultivate a more advanced conception of learning and develop a deeper learning approach. Design/methodology/approach It reviews a total of nine relevant case studies, covering the contexts of conventional schools (from elementary schools to college, and cram schools) as well as technology-enhanced environments (internet-assisted learning and mobile learning); and participants from Grade 2 students to adult learners as well as teachers. Their conceptions of learning and preferred learning approaches are summarized. Findings Results of the studies show the Taiwanese students’ and teachers’ conceptions of learning in general and of technology-enhanced learning in particular. The students tended to be passive learners to receive instructions and considered examinations as a short-term goal for their study, with surface learning approaches commonly adopted. Despite technology may help to promote their cultivation of a more sophisticated conception of learning, many of them still opted for rote memorization and practice as the major ways to study. The potentials of technology in enhancing learning thus have not been fully realized. Originality/value The results shed light on an Asian-specific educational culture which is exam oriented. They reveal the challenges regarding the use of technology in education, which hinder the promotion of students’ advanced conceptions of learning. They also highlight the directions of future work to create a more accessible and gratifying technology-enhanced environment.


Author(s):  
J. Patrick Williams ◽  
Hsin-Liang Chen

This chapter examines the impact of multimodal, computer-mediated communication strategies on instruction in higher education. Colleges and universities have realized positive effects of using computer- mediated communication in instruction, but these effects are often accompanied by unintended, unexpected, and surprising changes to instructional practices, course dynamics, and student outcomes. With the introduction of computer-mediated communication in the instructional setting, the array of roles and expectations increases substantially. This chapter outlines the use of ICTs in “blended” and fully-online learning spaces and highlights some of our observations gained in teaching and performing research in an online course. Researchers should focus on investigating the roles, expectations, and interactions that accompany these changes and work to support the evolving needs of all constituents of technology-enhanced learning spaces. We believe it is important that, as researchers, we investigate ways in which accessibility, flexibility, and seamless integration of ICTs, user experience, and pedagogy can be maximized.


2018 ◽  
pp. 184-204
Author(s):  
Diogo Casanova ◽  
António Moreira

This paper presents a comprehensive model for supporting informed and critical discussions concerning the quality of Technology-Enhanced Learning in Blended Learning programmes. The model aims to support discussions around domains such as how institutions are prepared, the participants' background and expectations, the course design, and the learning process. The research that supported the design of this model was framed by a Grounded Theory method, combining different approaches to empirical data collection with a review of evaluation models on aspects of the quality of Online and Distance Learning. Throughout the paper, arguments are made that Higher Education institutions need to be more critical with regard to the use of Technology-Enhanced Learning, and to support it as a counterpart to face-to-face learning and teaching. The model provides a framework for teachers in Higher Education to reflect and discuss the quality of Technology-Enhanced Learning in their Blended Learning programmes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Dafoulas ◽  
Azam Shokri

Purpose The emergence of Education 2.0 enabled technology-enhanced learning, necessitating new pedagogical approaches, while e-learning has evolved into an instrumental pedagogy of collaboration through affordances of social media. Social learning networks and ubiquitous learning enabled individual and group learning through social engagement and social distribution of knowledge. Nevertheless, these developments have not been supported with extensive studies focusing on quantifying the impact of technology-enhanced learning on students’ progress and achievement. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how a quantitative overview of Facebook’s influence on students’ progress can be incorporated in a proposed e-moderation model of teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach The approach is based on extending Salmon’s (2003) e-moderation model, which provides an emphasis on the theoretical perspectives that support socially situated learning environments of social networks such as Facebook. The findings revealed that students’ grades were positively influenced by the complementary use of Facebook on their courses of study. Findings The use of a social learning network also triggered a significant increase in student participation in learning activities delivered over Facebook. Research limitations/implications The main research limitations were due to the fact that a single social network was chosen for conducting the experiments. Furthermore, the investigation was narrowed down to a selected range of sessions offered to college and university students as part of their course. Originality/value The paper’s contribution is twofold, as it offers an original set of guidelines for conducting social learning network experiments and provides valuable quantifiable findings on the educational value of such networks.


Author(s):  
Neil Gordon ◽  
Mike Brayshaw

This chapter explores issues that affect the uptake and integration of Technology in Higher Education, developing a framework to overcome some of the barriers. Technological adoption varies across disciplines. The authors consider disciplines as tribes, where some find technology acceptable and an enabler, whilst for others it is alien and deemed inappropriate. Some territories reflect technology as an area to defend and expand, whilst for others the imposition of technology and associated practices are considered a hostile intrusion into discipline practice. Within the framework, the authors reflect on various perspectives: practitioners', students', and support teams' perspectives within the wider eco-systems and structures. Practitioner concerns reflect discipline traditions and practices, from teaching through to assessment and how to manage the Wikipedia generation. Students' needs in a technological age reflect the demands of the Netizen as student, and the rise and challenge of MOOCs to the teacher and the learner. Institutional mechanisms provide the situation for the use of technology. The authors provide a framework within which to explore the above concerns and describe mechanisms to unite the academic tribes, to see the territorial boundaries as artificial and counter-productive, and to enable the utilisation of E-Learning in current and future Higher Education settings.


2020 ◽  
pp. 178-188
Author(s):  
Antonio Moreira Teixeira ◽  
José Mota

Open universities (OUs) have been at the forefront of educational technology. Designed as innovative and flexible organizations, they have proven instrumental to assure the consolidation of research, innovation and quality practice in distance and online education. Inspired by the impact of open education and MOOCs, traditional higher education institutions began embracing technology-enhanced learning and online education. The growing competition from these universities, as well as of new non-formal providers, have resulted for the OUs in the decrease in student numbers, especially in Europe and North America. With the closing down of campuses due to Covid-19, this growing movement was noticeably accelerated. As higher education prepares for the new normal, how may the European OU remain socially relevant and competitive? Are they still indispensable for assuring quality education opportunities for all, as a growing number of critics question? In this paper we analyse the impact of the pandemic on European OU, discuss possible strategies to meet the challenges of a rapidly transforming higher education landscape, and identify potential trends and models for future development.


Author(s):  
Linda Daniela ◽  
Raimonds Strods ◽  
Daiga Kalniņa

As technologies become more exciting, interactive, and reachable, various technological solutions are used in higher education. On the one hand, there is the conviction that technologies are indispensable, both for improving learning and for making learning process more effective, both in terms of learning outcomes and in terms of costs. Additionally, technology and technological solutions can provide sustainability of knowledge because students develop the competences that they will need in their future professional work. This chapter summarises the systematic literature review (SLR) carried out by the authors in analysing research that has been done on the impact of technology-enhanced learning on learning outcomes in order to understand what emerging research has been done, as the authors published a similar study one year ago. The SLR was conducted for the period of 2010 to 2018 by selecting peer-reviewed articles on specified terms. The selected articles were then analysed following sub-purposes. The descriptive analysis method was adopted for the data analysis.


2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 638-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lichy ◽  
Tatiana Khvatova ◽  
Kevin Pon

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the extent to which faculty have adopted technology-enhanced learning in the delivery of undergraduate programmes to a largely international cohort, and indirectly the barriers that may be preventing a more widespread use of technology. Design/methodology/approach – The enquiry takes a cross-disciplinary approach to explore how technology is used in the delivery of international programmes in France and Russia; the focus lies at the intersection of technology-led learning and managing cultural diversity. A face-to-face survey is used to gather the more specific information about teaching practices at each institution. Findings – The findings of the survey strongly suggest that technology acceptance and technology awareness are influenced by a number of complex factors in this particular cultural context. The study concludes by discussing various recommendations for integrating technology into courses delivered across the partner institutions. Research limitations/implications – The two institutions are based in “second cities” but they do not reflect a nation-wide attitude to using technology for teaching purposes. The findings cannot be extrapolated beyond this relatively restricted geographic sample. Originality/value – Existing studies often discuss and compare student reactions to technology-enhanced learning but there is a gap in the understanding of the broader factors that can influence the delivery of course materials using technology. The perception and usage of internet technology can vary considerably across different cultures and linguistic communities, and this factor can have an impact on the way a course is delivered.


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