Academic Development Strategies to Support Teaching and Learning Processes Integrated with Technologies: Lessons Learnt at University of Trento (original) (raw)

Using technologies in teaching: An initiative in academic staff development

Educational Technology & Society, 2000

[Follow URL link above to find paper] Academic staff development in the pedagogical applications of new technologies is fundamental to the transformation of teaching and learning in tertiary education settings. We present a case study of a staff development activity at Deakin University, a multi-campus university offering on and off-campus programs, which aimed to develop a collegial online experience for academics interested in using online technologies. It is contextualised within a broadly based centrally funded project initiated by the University to extend the use of technologies in significant curriculum areas. The initiative employed a text-based, asynchronous computer conferencing environment. We describe the structure of the online environment and explore the major issues raised by the participants based on their experience and evaluation of the conference. We conclude by raising key questions that draw on our experience of the successful outcome of this initiative to advance relevant and meaningful opportunities for academic staff development.

Technology in the United Kingdom's Higher Education Context

2008

Frequently, university-wide strategic decisions about technology are made without fully understanding the implications for resources, administration, teaching programmes, teaching practices and learning approaches, often resulting in technology-led course designs. Yet evidence shows that it is not the technology per se that changes learning and teaching but the pedagogical advantage we make of its use. In parallel, professional development programmes have largely focused on how to use the technology, resulting in replication or supplement of existing teaching practices, as opposed to transforming learning. In particular, the lack of specific context and reflection in professional development programmes can lead to a poor understanding of how and why students use technology effectively in learning. This requires a rethink of how we support initiatives that use technology in learning and teaching. Professional development programmes need to focus not only on the individual teacher, but also on support staff, departmental, and senior managers, so that appropriate policies, supporting structures and resources are in place for effective technology use. This chapter critiques these issues in the context of higher education in the United Kingdom and examines the political drivers that have pushed for the use of information communication technology (ICT) in learning and teaching. It considers this in the context of the United Kingdom Open University and how this institution has addressed some of the issues highlighted. Finally, a framework for professional development to support ICT in learning and teaching is presented aimed at holistically improving the student learning experience. This framework incorporates not only individual staff but also faculty and institutional management.

Researching Technology-Enabled Teaching , Learning , and Training

2021

In a recent publication, Mishra and Panda (2020) reasserted ‘policy-capacity-technology’ as a theory of change model in effective implementation of technology-enabled learning (TEL), and at the same time underlined “to engage in capacity building in institutions and focus on our collective understanding of ‘learning’ in a ‘networked’ society, making use of resource-based learning within and beyond the Commonwealth in the broader sense as well as in the contexts of socio-cultural and educational ecologies” (p. 237). In this change model, research on TEL assumes considerable significance. The current focus on provisions and mechanisms notwithstanding, we need to go beyond to address if at all and how technology facilitates teachers’ teaching and learners’ learning (Kirkwood & Price, 2013).

Integrating ICT into the teaching practice of academics at a university

2018

My abundant and sincere thanks go to my supervisor, Dr. Thirusellvan Vandeyar, for the muchvalued guidance, support, encouragement and the many hours of time so generously given while constantly reminding me to be flexible and open to research outcomes. I thank him for patiently listening to me, placating my concerns every time I faced a roadblock, responding to my very many emails, and giving me a sense of direction. His belief, support, and constant encouragement are immensely appreciated. I have learned so much through your guidance. I could not have accomplished this without you. Thanks are also due to my family for the support, encouragement and love they have given me throughout my dissertation journey. To my wife Cynthia, you have been an amazing supporter and motivator. You have sacrificed in many ways. I thank you for your support, encouragement and love while working on this research work. To my wonderful children: Angel, Aaron and Alden for all the cuddles and trying to understand that dad had to do his work. You have sacrificed in many ways. I thank you for your support, encouragement and love while working on this research. I would also like to thank the many friends and colleagues who I relied upon for support, motivation and used as a sounding board. Special thanks go to Emmanuel Sajjabi for always welcoming me home away from home and all the support he freely gave whenever I called on him in the mountain kingdom, you are a blessing. I also wish to thank the study participants who volunteered to take part in this research. You have all helped in so many ways throughout my program. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Prof. Chika Sehoole Dean, Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria. Thank you for your encouragement, leadership and motivation. Without your input, I would not have been able to start this journey. I appreciate your time and effort devoted to assisting me through this process. To the staff of the Department of Science, Mathematics & Technology Education, thank you for your time and commitment throughout my dissertation journey. I truly appreciate your effort, feedback and suggestions for research throughout the process. And finally, but by no means least, my heart felt gratitude to my Father and Mother, who always encouraged me to do my best, instilled in me the value of a good education and worked very hard to provide the opportunities for me to acquire it.

Learning technologies in higher education: Supporting transformative practice

2002

This paper presents a summary of an evaluation study (2000 - 2002) on a faculty professional development initiative called the Partnership Program. The program paid for faculty release time to develop technology-enhanced instructional projects supported by an instructional development and evaluation team. The program was evaluated in the context of faculty instructional transformation and was designed to assess the program's impact on their core values, and models of teaching practices; Department's and Faculties' acceptance and support of learning technologies; the context in which they are evaluated for innovative instructional practice; and the influence of a Centre for faculty professional development on the university's learning culture. Outcomes for the study include an evaluation of and recommendations for programming for faculty professional development and support and models for peer review and evaluation of innovative instructional practices.

Converging institutional expertise to model teaching and learning with emerging technologies

progressio, 2013

There is an increasing disjuncture between the use of technologies and the impact that this has on teaching and learning practice. This challenge is compounded by the lack of institutional preparedness to support emerging practices that harness transformative potential in higher education (HE). Most staff development initiatives have tended to focus on skills acquisition, which have often not translated into pedagogical change. In the previous two years (2011 and 2012), four higher education institutions (HEIs) in Cape Town, South Africa, convened a collaborative short course on ‘Emerging Technologies for Improving Teaching and Learning’, which was targeted at 43 educators at the four HEIs over the two years it was offered. The objective of the course was to empower educators from the four HEIs with pedagogical knowledge for teaching with emerging technologies by modelling authentic practices. The course provided a unique opportunity for academics to come together in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere to learn, discuss and benefit from valuable experiences of peers and expert facilitators from the four HEIs in our region regarding the use of technologies for improved teaching and learning. This article draws on the theorybased design framework for technology enhanced learning (TEL) to reflect on the two-year inter-institutional facilitation of a course aimed at empowering educators to teach with emerging technologies through modelling practice.

Academic staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning in the UK HEIs

2013

This paper reports on a study on staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that took place in November 2011. Data for this study were gathered via an online survey emailed to the Heads of e-Learning Forum (HeLF) which is a network comprised of one senior member of staff per UK institution leading the enhancement of learning and teaching through the use of technology. Prior to the survey, desk-based research on some universities’ publicly available websites gathered similar information about staff development in the area of technology enhanced learning. The online survey received 27 responses, approaching a quarter of all UK HEIs subscribed to the Heads of e-Learning forum list (118 is the total number). Both pre-1992 (16 in number) and post-1992 Universities (11 in number) were represented in the survey and findings indicate the way this sample UK HEIs are approaching staff development in the area of TEL. The survey’s ma...

Furthering Research and Development in Technology-Enabled Learning

Journal of Learning for Development

Considerable attention has been paid, in the recent past, to technology-enabled learning (TEL) and how digital technologies have been facilitating teachers, learners and trainers in transforming the ways they approach teaching-learning and development (Kirkwood & Price, 2016; Sankey & Mishra, 2019). Institutions across the globe use TEL to 'enhance' the quality of learning and teaching with the use of technology (Browne et al, 2010) and invest considerably in technologies that could have an impact as such. But, the very 'enhancement' vis-à-vis 'impact' issue was subsequently contested to visualise an 'enabling' stance in the use of technology. Professional development initiatives based on the enhancement proposition had to struggle as to how to enhance quality in teaching-learning. Concurrent articulation on the scholarship of teaching and learning (