scholarly journals The Technological Challenge Facing Higher Education Professors: Perceptions of ICT Tools for Developing 21st Century Skills

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 5339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Liesa-Orús ◽  
Cecilia Latorre-Cosculluela ◽  
Sandra Vázquez-Toledo ◽  
Verónica Sierra-Sánchez

To consider that some quality teaching-learning processes in the Higher Education is practically unthinkable without the use of technology, especially because of its impact in developing the necessary skills and abilities for the 21st century. (1) Background: One of the initial steps to successfully approach this challenge is to analyze how university professors consider that ICTs can contribute to developing skills and abilities in their students. In this regard, their perceptions are one of the factors that will limit the use they make of these tools. (2) Method: For this reason, a quantitative research has been designed in which 345 university professors have participated for different branches of knowledge of one Spanish university. (3) Results: Among the most relevant results, we can highlight that the professors recognize the potentials of the ICTs and consider they have a positive effect on learning and development of 21st century skills in their students. These benefits are seen in different fields like communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, among others. Likewise, the importance of the technology culture teaching role is outstanding. (4) Conclusions: Finally, the need for integration of ICTs in a pedagogical model in which professor training in digital skills acquires relevance is shown.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10366
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos González-Salamanca ◽  
Olga Lucía Agudelo ◽  
Jesús Salinas

Skills needed to be successful in the world have changed, and there is a gap between those learned at school and those required to function at work and in society. A broader range of skills is required to learn, communicate, collaborate, and solve problems in digital environments. Twenty-first century skills have been identified by UNESCO, OECD, and others as competences required for a sustainable future of the knowledge society. The aim was to learn the design principles involved in the incorporation of these skills into the curriculum, find out possible ways to teach and assess them, and examine how this process could be personalized using Information and Communications Technology (ICT). A literature review was carried out through a qualitative metasynthesis, which identified 43 studies that met the inclusion criteria. From the in-depth analysis, it can be seen that although the incorporation of 21st century skills into the curriculum, teaching methodologies, and the use of ICT are all recurrent themes, there is still a need for further research into the design and implementation of new instruments for assessment and the ways in which the teaching–learning process can be personalized.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
György Molnár

The rapid development of ICT is constantly calling for society and economics, as well as our way of life. This tendency is being intensified these days by the transformation of the basic lifestyles, tasks and roles besides the changes of the education system and its components. The major shifts in technical and technological advancements have resulted in the development of the learning environment and the spread of digital learning therefore required the adjustment of learning forms and fundamental principles). Its signs are primarily visible in the changes of the classical teaching-learning methods, the redefining of the learning environment and the shifts of different roles.


Author(s):  
Hariklia Tsalapatas ◽  
Olivier Heidmann ◽  
Constantinos Katsimentes ◽  
Spiridon Panagiotopoulos ◽  
Christina Taka ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Anne S. Koch ◽  
Joseph C. Kush

In this chapter, student achievement, the differentiation of instruction, and 21st Century Skills are examined along with their relationship to the use of technology in an educational setting. Characteristics of highly qualified teachers are also examined from multiple standpoints within the educational system. Standards from INTASC, NCATE, NCTAF, and NCLB point to the importance of the university faculty and quality teacher education programs to support the needs of preservice teachers. In addition, the joining of business and education across the nation and the world to infuse technology into education has shown positive results. This merger between business and education exemplifies the need for the acquisition of 21st century skills needed for all students to be a literate part of the 21st century workforce.


Author(s):  
María-Mercedes Rojas-de-Gracia ◽  
Pilar Alarcón-Urbistondo

Given the limited number of documents addressing methodological context in higher education with a rigorous approach, this chapter comprises a document drawn up in order to clarify methodological concepts. It emphasizes the importance of the teaching-learning process and the significance of placing the student at the center of all actions. The educator's mission changes from being a mere transmitter of information to being a conductor and organizer of the learning situation. To achieve this, several methods must be combined, requiring a balance between the theoretical and practical classes. Likewise, they can be benefited by carrying out complementary activities. This combination is intended to face the great challenges of higher education in the 21st century, which are driven by changes in the way students learn. The emergence of technologies means that the protagonist in the collective construction of knowledge is the student, responding to their digital and participatory demands.


2022 ◽  
pp. 205-222
Author(s):  
María A. Pérez-Juárez ◽  
Javier M. Aguiar-Pérez ◽  
Javier Del-Pozo-Velázquez ◽  
Miguel Alonso-Felipe ◽  
Saúl Rozada-Raneros ◽  
...  

The presence of technology on college campuses has increased rapidly in recent years. Students come to the classroom with a variety of technological devices including smart phones, tablets, or laptops and use them during academic activity. For this reason, there are many researchers who, in recent times, have been interested in the problems derived from digital distraction in higher education. In many cases, researchers have conducted studies and surveys to obtain first-hand information from the protagonists, that is, from university professors and students. Despite the efforts, there are many questions that still remain unanswered. The authors are aware of the enormous challenge that the use of technology poses in the university classrooms and want to delve into the causes and consequences of student digital distraction and the strategies that can be used by instructors to curb student digital distraction without deteriorating student-instructor rapport in the context of higher education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9069
Author(s):  
Guillermo Rodríguez-Abitia ◽  
Sandra Martínez-Pérez ◽  
Maria Soledad Ramirez-Montoya ◽  
Edgar Lopez-Caudana

The United Nations (UN) identifies four key elements as agents for change and for addressing societal challenges: education, research, innovation and leadership. The use of technology, from a pedagogical and organizational point of view, in higher education institutions has brought about new challenges. The integration of them in the teaching–learning processes has experienced a great evolution, giving way to a digital transformation and the acquisition of new skills and knowledge, thus pointing towards quality education within the framework of sustainable development objectives. This document aims to describe and analyze the ways in which seven higher education institutions, three in Spain and four in Mexico, have taken up the challenge of adopting technologies and applying them to the educational process. To this end, in-depth interviews and direct observations were carried out. The results point to three dimensions: technological, pedagogical and organizational, which shed light on the different factors that influence the choice and availability of the use of technologies. The results indicate that contextual factors play a determinant role in the ability of an institution to profit from technologies to aid the educational process and guarantee its quality.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7746
Author(s):  
Omar Habets ◽  
Jol Stoffers ◽  
Beatrice Van der Heijden ◽  
Pascale Peters

This study contributes to the employability skills debate by investigating how students’ self-perceived 21st century skills relate to the self-perceived fit between their higher education curriculum and their future labor market for a sustainable entry to this labor market. Survey data from 4670 fourth-year students over a period of four years were analyzed. Furthermore, out of this group, 83 students were monitored longitudinally over their full educational student careers. Results showed a positive relationship between students’ self-perceived 21st century skills and their self-perceived “education-future labor market fit”. Among more recent cohorts, a significant improvement in their self-perceived 21st century skills was found. Overall, this study indicated that in order to deliver “employable” graduates, students need to be thoroughly trained in 21st century skills, and their development should be retained and expanded. This is one of the few studies that uses a vast amount of both cross-sectional and longitudinal data on skills and labor market perspectives among new graduates.


Author(s):  
Meghan Perdue

In the midst of the current technological revolution, there is a thriving conversation about how society should adapt to the future of work taking place in the national media, universities, policy organizations, think tanks, consulting firms and companies. One such model for work and education under consideration is that of the role of higher education in workforce development. How well does a bachelor’s degree prepare an individual for a career in this shifting landscape of work? What is the responsibility of the university to the student – to prepare them for a career? Or to help them build the intellectual framework to build a meaningful life Incorporating the practice and development of 21st century skills into the higher education classroom does not necessarily require a great rethinking of the education model or content delivery. Rather, it could be as simple as encouraging faculty to use proven educational principles such as active learning and group-based learning into the classroom. This would allow students to practice some of the necessary skills such as communication, respect, teamwork, and problem solving into their higher education curriculum.


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